Rowe Elementary Newsletter

Dear Rowe Families,

As we move into December, we want to share a few important updates and reminders:

Report Cards: Report cards will be sent home with students on Friday, December 13th. Our report cards use a standards-based scoring system to measure your child’s progress toward specific grade-level expectations. The performance levels on our report cards are as follows:

• 4 – Exceeding the Standard: The student consistently demonstrates advanced understanding and application beyond what is expected.
• 3 – Meeting the Standard: The student shows proficiency and meets the grade-level expectations.
• 2 – Approaching the Standard: The student is progressing toward the standard but has not yet met grade-level expectations.
• 1 – Evidence not yet demonstrated: The student has not yet demonstrated evidence of meeting the standard at this time.

This scoring system is designed to provide clear information about your child’s strengths and areas for growth. If you have any questions about the report card or performance levels, please get in touch with your child’s teacher or our office.

Cold Weather Gear: Winter has arrived! Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the cold weather, including items like hats, gloves, snow pants, and warm coats. Please label your student's clothing items.

If your family needs assistance obtaining cold-weather gear, please don’t hesitate to contact us—we’re here to help.

Winter Break: Our winter break is scheduled from Monday, December 23, 2024, through Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Classes will resume on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact our office.

Your Partners at Rowe,

Bill Anton, Principal

Melissa Richard, Assistant Principal

Dear Elementary Families,

As part of the Portland Public Schools Strategic Plan, we are looking into the selection of new SEL (Social Emotional Learning) curriculum at the elementary school level. As we start this process we would like to get your input! I have joined PTO meetings at multiple schools and am also offering a virtual session on Monday, December 16th at 5:00 PM. The Google Meets link for this session is: meet.google.com/goq-yswr-kzd

The two questions that will guide our conversation are:

• What social, emotional, or behavioral skills are important to you to be taught in your child's school?
• What qualities are important to you in the elementary school community?

If you are unable to join this meeting but would like to provide input, you can feel free to email me at frankj@portlandschools.org with your responses.

Thank you,

Joanna Frankel

Director of Elementary Culture and Climate

Health Guidance for Maine School Children

Attending school each day is critical for children's successful academic and social growth! The guidance below gives you examples of normal health conditions and when to consider staying home or seeking medical attention. Children in pre-K through high school benefit from regularly attending school to learn, grow, and engage with their peers.

• Rowe PTO (map)
• Google Calendar ICS

View Event →

• Join other Rowe families for an evening meal and activities!

  
  

  January 15th, 6-7:30 pm

  Snow date: January 29th

  Catered by Wayside Food Programs

  Transportation will be available (information coming soon!)

  
  

  Interested in volunteering to support the community dinner? Sign up here!

  
  

  Please reach out to Lara Rosen (lara.k.rosen@gmail.com) with any questions.

  
  

  We look forward to seeing folks then!

• Rowe PTO (map)
• Google Calendar ICS

View Event →

We have updated our Rowe calendar with all upcoming events, school closures, and early dismissals. Instead of adding all these dates and times by hand, simply follow the steps below to add all these dates to your personal calendar at once. If there are any changes in the future, it will automatically update on your calendar.

Step 1: Go to https://rowe.portlandschools.org/news-calendars/calendar and click on the wireless icon in the top left or right corner of the calendar, depending if you are a desktop or mobile device.

Step 2: A Calendar Feed window will pop up. Click on the iCAL icon for either the public calendar (all events happening at Rowe) or Rowe Elementary (only Rowe school events), select your calendar. Selecting "Add to Default Calendar App" will add the Rowe calendar to your default calendar on phone, ipad, or computer. Follow the directions that pop up on your screen to complete.

If you need to add the subscription to your calendar manually: select "get standard iCAL URL or iCal Google URL" Copy the url.

Step 3: To add to your calendar:

For iCalendar: Open your calendar, go to File >New Calendar Subscription>paste the URL in the box, click Subscribe.

For Google Calendar: Open your calendar, click the + next to other calendars> click From URL> paste URL in box, click add calendar

For Outlook Calendar: Open your calendar > select calendar> select import and then subscribe> paste the iCal link into the box> enter name for calendar> select subscribe.

Thank you to Rowe parent, Molly Hemkens, for this fabulous tech tip!

Wow, Rowe School Community!

Thank you for your swift and generous contributions to the second art fundraiser of the year. Together, we raised over $1500 for art supplies that directly benefit all Rowe students. Soon, students will have plenty of watercolor paper, clay and ceramics tools to pursue all their creative aspirations. We are grateful!

Recently, students had the opportunity to create shadow puppets in art. Their smiles have been such a joy to witness as their creatures and characters were illuminated in our shadow puppet theater/painted cardboard box.

This month we are studying the mobiles and circus-inspired art of Alexander Calder. Upper grades can create mobiles using a variety of found materials while younger artists study Calder's simple shapes and lines to portray the magical wonder of the circus.

Centers for painting, oil pastels, printmaking, lightboards and collage are accessible as we become inspired to create art in new and challenging ways. I am continually surprised and humbled by their enthusiasm. Thank you for being such wonderful champions for the arts at Rowe.

With kindness,

Jean

Congratulations to our Walk-a-Thon winners who won the chance to be the principal/assistant principal for the day!

Our winners got to:

*Wear a principal badge and have a special hot chocolate to kick off the day

*Do morning announcements

*Help return lost a found items
*Visit classrooms

*Read aloud to a classroom
*Recess/lunch duty
*Ordered lunch to eat in the office
*Help complete projects in the office
*Help with dismissal announcements

We are looking for more parents to join our PBIS Tier 1 team!

Purpose Statement:

The Tier 1 team exists to support students and staff by examining data, implementing schoolwide programs and norms, setting high expectations while creating the conditions to ensure success, helping students build connections to develop a sense of purpose and meaning, creating a culture and climate of learning and belonging through universal systems.

If you are interested in joining this team (one hour a month - before school), please email our Climate and Culture Coordinator - Jeremy Lynch - lynchj@portlandschools.org

We hope to hear from you!