Wildcat Newsletter

The end of the first quarter is this week. Teachers will be writing report cards on Friday and planning for the new quarter on Monday. You’ll be accessing your child's report card through ParentVue. It will be available by Friday, November 8th. If you requested a paper copy, you will receive it this week. Also, if you haven’t reserved your time slot for Parent-Teacher Conferences, please connect with your child’s teacher. Conferences are November 25th and 26th.

If you haven’t checked out your ballot yet, it really looks different. We are doing a little bit of education about rank choice voting. At our assembly this week, students were introduced to the concept. At lunch they will have a chance to rank their choices for an added indoor recess activity. Once we receive all of the ballots, we will count and rank them and make posters with the data and the way the percentages shifted due to the process. We will introduce the winning new activity at the next indoor recess time. Side note: we only have indoor recess when it’s raining heavily. We go outside most days, even in light rain. Stay tuned for the results!

#EveryDayMatters is the slogan from the Oregon Department of Education. Like ODE, we are also focused on improving student attendance. As I mentioned in the Back to School Night presentation, our overall percentage of students who met the 90%+ was 63%. Basically, 4 out of every 10 kids are missing enough instruction to make it nearly impossible to meet grade level benchmark. Our academic achievement, while higher than the state and higher than the PPS average, is still well below what we’d like to see for our/your students. Our students' attendance correlates to our achievement level.

This Thursday, the last day of first quarter, we will celebrate the students who have 90% or above attendance. Each quarter we will recognize students who meet this percentage. We recognize that there are many reasons for students to miss school. For attendance percentages, all absences count as missed school days.

We love having your child in school. Their classmates miss them when they aren’t there.

#EveryDayMatters and together we can help ensure your child makes or exceeds their growth target.

Mrs. Porter-Lopez

Our 4th grade classes partnered with Portland Parks and Rec to plant native plants in the park on Tuesday! They had a great time getting their hands dirty and learning about native plants. If you take a walk in Woodlawn Park, look for the new little plants thanks to our 4th grade!

Reading buddies, Ms. Rice’s and Ms. Amanda’s classes

Students buddying with students for the sake of enjoying a book!

Last week we celebrated Mr. Ransom’s 4th grade and Ms. Howard’s 3rd grade classes for excellent attendance! Next up for this Thursday is Ms. Fitz’s 2nd grade, Ms. Escovedo’s 3rd grade, Ms. Howard’s 5th grade, and Mr. Shipe’s 5th grade. Great job Wildcats!

Help us make Woodlawn even better than it already is! Your feedback is important to us. The Successful Schools Survey gives us even more information about our program than we already ask you about. It helps us direct our energy and make this a place YOU feel comfortable, able to access the information you want from school and the teacher and helps us understand what you want for your child’s education and well-being at school. We are hoping to have more than 100 responses to the survey this year. Be a part of sharing your voice. Panorama is the vendor. You’ll receive an email with a link to complete the survey. We’ll include links each week in the newsletter after it opens.

We appreciate you and are thrilled that you are part of the Woodlawn Community. Your voice matters. We want to hear from you.

Have you voted yet? Your vote matters! We have been chatting with students about Rank Choice Voting, what it means, and how it works. We are going to try it out by voting for a new indoor recess activity. Stay tuned!

We recognize that many students will be excited to wear their Halloween costumes tomorrow, and we are excited to see who or what they chose to dress up as. We have a few guidelines for dressing up in order to maintain a safe learning environment.

• No face masks, hoods, nothing covering your face. Headbands are okay.

• No props or things to carry. Ex: no wands, stuffies, faux weapons, etc.

• No inflatable costumes

We have been reminding students at lunch what the expectations are when it comes to their costumes, and that whatever they are wearing needs to be comfortable and non distracting for the entire school day. Please talk with your child about what you allow them to wear tomorrow. It’s a 6.5 hour day and school is on a regular learning schedule. Some Halloween costumes may be too much and too uncomfortable to wear all day. (e.g. Consider the effects of face paint all day.)

We want students to enjoy the spirit day theme and to also have fun later in the evening.Thanks for helping us keep students safe and learning!

Yesterday our second, 4th, and 5th graders received their new glasses from Vision to Learn! It was so exciting getting to see clearly for the first time for some of our students. Our kindergarteners, 1st graders, and 3rd graders were screened a few weeks back and students that failed the screening will get their eye exams on either 11/13 or 11/22. If your child received new glasses and you would like a copy of their prescription, please email Ms. Paige! pbyquist@pps.net

Thank you for your support!

The Sparky’s Pizza fundraiser raised $525.57 dollars for the PTA.

This will be put towards our budget for events and support such as Celebrate Woodlawn, the Staff resilience room, and classroom support.

Last Chance on Holiday Pies – Order by Friday at Noon!

We’ve extended the deadline! Place your order by Friday at noon and help us reach our $1,000 goal—we’re currently at $340.

This year’s fundraiser includes new pumpkin options, mini pies, and a variety of handmade fruit pies. All pies come frozen—ready to thaw, heat, and serve for holiday gatherings. Prices range from $10 to $24.

Important Dates:

• Order Deadline: Friday, November 1st, at Noon

• Pickup: Wednesday, November 13th, after school at Woodlawn

Order Online Today! Questions? Email woodlawnschoolPTA@gmail.com.

Save the Date!

November 14, 2024, is Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day!

Ruby Bridges became a symbol of the civil rights movement at age six when she was the youngest of a group of African-American students designated to integrate schools in the American South. On November 14, 1960, her first day of school at William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Ruby was escorted to school by four federal marshals. She spent the entire day in the principal’s office as irate parents marched into the school to remove their children.

Woodlawn Elementary PTA encourages all students and families to participate, even if you are parking a few blocks away and walking to school.

Learn more about Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day at www.oregonsaferoutes.org/rbwtsd/

Get Involved- Volunteer for Ruby Bridges Day

Help Handout Bookmarks in the Hallway

to educate students about Ruby’s legacy.

Sign up here.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D49AFA828A4FEC43-52732858-ruby

OBOB

3rd, 4th, and 5th graders - Join us for the Oregon Battle of the Books! Club meetings start this Wednesday October 30th in the library. We'll meet from 2:30-3:40. Please make sure you turn in your permission slip before you come.