Week 18!

January 17, 2025

There is no school on Monday, January 20th as we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Breakfast

Lunch

Thank you PTA and to Austin Sellers for the graphic design work!

Our school will soon participate in a district-wide opportunity for reflection called the Fidelity of Implementation Tool (FIT) Assessment. The FIT is a tool that measures the extent to which a school implements many of the systems and practices that have been identified as critical to equitable and inclusive schools that ensure high levels of learning for all students.

During the FIT Assessment, two support staff from the district will spend the day with us, talking to a variety of people in the school community to get an understanding of our practices. Family and community members are invited to participate in a conversation with the district staff in order to respond to predetermined questions that are asked as part of the assessment. If you would like to join us, please call, email, or connect with me in person.

We will use the data we collect from this process to inform our School Continuous Improvement Plan and other work at the building level. The district will look at district-wide data to highlight areas for further intentional support.

Are you interested in helping coordinate Black History month celebration(s) for our school in February? Please reach out to Principal Collins (dcollins@pps.net) and we can brainstorm how we might want to celebrate as a school community. I'd love to collaborate with you on this.

Quarter 2 is coming to an end. Report cards are coming the first week in February. They will not be sent home by paper unless you choose for this to happen.

PPS as a district made the decision to not send paper copies of grading reports home. EVERYONE is automatically enrolled in this option. It is up to the individual parent to choose to opt out if they would prefer to receive a paper copy of their child’s progress/grading report.

We want to make sure that all families know and understand that unless you go into ParentVue and UNCHECK the box to only receive your student's report card on-line, you will NOT receive a paper report card for your student going forward. We are not trying to sway families into either decision, paper or paperless, we just want to make sure all families are aware of this new change.

Please see the link below for more information on how to receive your child's report card online or how to opt out of receiving paperless report cards.

Our mission is to create an inclusive, accessible, climate-resilient natural space for learning and playing in our community that improves our environmental stewardship and connection to our neighbors, Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, and the land known to locals as the Moreland Woods, which houses a family of bald eagles and other important wildlife in our area. With the Nature in Neighborhoods grant, our project will result in a capital improvement project and funding will be used for design and engineering costs, bid documents and permits, as well as materials and construction expenses, to connect our school yard to surrounding natural areas and greatly enhance our green spaces, play areas, and nature-based learning opportunities.

We are actively engaged with our community partners including the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services, Friends of Oaks Bottom, Sellwood Community House, SMILE, Trackers, Wilhelm Funeral Home, NatureHood, PPS Facilities Office, Juncus Architecture Studio, and our Llewellyn Parent Teacher Association (PTA) who also desire more accessible, inclusive, climate resilient green spaces and parks. This transformative play yard project at Llewellyn Elementary, and for the Sellwood-Moreland community in SE Portland, is driven by our shared vision to create vibrant, inclusive spaces that inspire learning, environmental stewardship, and connection to our neighbors and to Moreland Woods and Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge.

Did you know that Portland Public Schools are facing a $40M budget deficit in 2025-2026 on the heels of a $30M deficit in 2024-2025?

Do you want to do something about it, but don't know where to start? JOIN US for an Oregon Education Funding Forum for SE PPS Community

• Monday, February 10th from 6 -7:30p

• Duniway Elementary School Auditorium (7700 SE Reed College Place)

• RSVP, submit questions for our district leaders and state officials, share your powerful stories and sign up for childcare here!

Your presence is powerful. The act of showing up alone moves the needle by demonstrating to our elected officials and district leaders that they cannot ignore the future of their youngest constituents. Bring friends, neighbors, and grandparents.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

📚Learn directly about the current state and future of Oregon education funding from your legislators and district leaders – the people sitting at the table in key decisions.

📣 Hear our community speak up on the issues lack of funding is causing our children and schools – such as large class sizes, Special Education Services failing to meet federally mandated obligations, student learning deficits, drops in enrollment leading to reduced resources, and other impacts.

💪🏽Walk away with simple, meaningful actions you can take on your own time, to advocate to fund Oregon schools year-round.

MEET THE PANEL:

We’re bringing together influential leaders who have a direct opportunity to impact funding for our schools, including:

• Superintendent Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong

• Director Eddie Wang (Zone 7 School Board)

• Senator Kathleen Taylor (21st district)

• Representative Mark Gamba (41st district)

• Representative Rob Nosse (42nd District)

Our PPS communities are one of our strongest assets. Yet we remain limited in giving our kids the education they deserve with our current state funding. Coming together is a powerful way to leverage our community to influence change. Simply put, this is an opportunity to show up for all Oregon families in a concrete, meaningful way.

We hope to see all of you there!

The Duniway Elementary School Advocacy Committee

All 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will participate in a Statewide Assessment when we return. As required by the Oregon Department of Education, we are providing you with the 30 Day Notice and Opt Out Form for Statewide Assessments in English Language Arts and Mathematics. The notice is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Russian and Somali on the PPS Research, Assessment, and Accountability website.

Statewide testing is part of our balanced assessment system that offers all students, especially historically underserved students, opportunities to demonstrate their progress. Information provided by student assessments is critical in helping us determine district and school priorities for improving student learning.

If you have questions, please contact the office or your student's teacher.

Parents - When you email us with attendance, call the attendance line (503-916-6256), or sign in your student late, please use the proper first and last names of your students. We are unable to look up students in the Attendance module using preferred names and trying to figure out who the student actually is can be time consuming. Thank you for your help!

If you have a last-minute change to your student's end of day plans, please call the office by 2:00PM. After that, it becomes much harder to get a note to teachers before the day ends. PLEASE CALL! We cannot guarantee that emails to the office or teachers will be seen after noon. Thank you for your help in making sure your student gets where they belong after school!

Please feel free to reach out to the office with questions. The office is open between 7:00AM and 3:00PM on school days.

We LOVE volunteers! If you plan to volunteer at Llewellyn at any time, a background check must be completed. This is done at the district level at no cost to you and is good for three years. Please keep in mind that it can take up to 2-3 weeks for the application to be processed, especially at the beginning of the year. Look here for more information, to apply, or to see if your current application is still valid.

Monthly PTA Meeting

Our next PTA meeting will be January 21 in the Llewellyn Library at 7 pm. Our topics will be Readathon, Reading Night and Small-Tall Ball coming up in February. Principal Collins will be giving an update about our playground and school site design plan. There will also be a raffle for Llewellyn gear! We look forward to seeing you there!

Reading Night

Reading Night is January 30 and will be chock full of special guest readers, raffles and opportunities to add to your reading goals! We don’t want to spoil the surprise so we will keep our readers a secret for now. We will need several volunteers for this event so please watch Konstella for the sign up!

Save the Dates

1/21 Readathon begins

1/21 PTA meeting in Llewellyn Library 7pm

1/30 Reading Night 6-7:30 pm

2/4 Readathon ends

2/7 Small Tall Ball 6-8 pm

The Healthy Choices Bulletin is a monthly summary of substance use prevention resources for PPS families. If have any questions of needs for support, please reach out to your student's Counselor.

Sellwood Community House has new classes this winter for grades K-5!

Join us on Wednesdays from 5-6:30 pm for a beginning level sewing class that will incorporate both hand-sewing techniques and basic machine operation. Class participants will create an adorable stuffed bunny! This 5-week class is designed for 3rd through 5th graders. Session 1 begins on January 15th, so sign up now!

Is your child looking for a weekend activity? On Saturdays from 10 am-12 pm, starting February 15th, we are offering a 5-week art series for K-5 students, with long-time art educator Serene Greene. You can learn more about Serene and see the beautiful work created in the Art Literacy Academy here.

Register for both of these classes on the Sellwood Community House website!

Is your child interested in gymnastics classes right here in the neighborhood? Our classes are full for this term, but please fill out this interest form so we can plan for spring and beyond!

The Recruitment Day will take place on Saturday, February 1st, 2025 at PPS Prophet Center (501 N Dixon Street, Portland, OR 97227) from 9am - 3pm. This event will be a great chance to directly speak with the SPED Department, School Administrators, and Human Resources about career opportunities. Scheduled and walk-in interviews will be available. More information can be found HERE.

We are thrilled to invite you to a Bingo Night hosted by the Sellwood PTA on Friday, February 7th from 7-9 PM at Union Manor! This fun event aims to raise $10,000, and thanks to a generous donor, every dollar raised will be MATCHED!

Proceeds from the event will go towards beautifying the Sellwood school grounds and purchasing much-needed recess equipment for the kids, including tables and benches, sports gear and outdoor play items.

Here’s how you can help:
- Attend the event and enjoy a fun night of Bingo! Buy here.
- Buy Extra Bingo cards and play for a chance to win great prizes.
- Make a donation to support our cause.
- Donate a prize. Email Committee at ceri.s.cundiff@gmail.com.

It’s a great way to have fun while supporting a great cause for our community’s kids. This is an adult only event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Thank you for your support, Sellwood PTA

1/20 NO SCHOOL - MLK Jr. Day

1/21 PTA Meeting - 7:00 in the Library

Readathon Begins

1/24 End of Second Quarter

1/27 NO SCHOOL – Grading Day

1/28 NO SCHOOL – Teacher Planning Day

1/30 Reading Night 6:00-7:30PM

2/4 Readathon Ends

2/7 Small-Tall Ball 6:00-8:00PM

2/17 NO SCHOOL – President’s Day (possible snow make-up day)

2/18 PTA Meeting - 7:00 in the Library

2/19 Immunization Exclusion Day

2/20 2nd Grade Swim Lessons End

2/26 EARLY RELEASE DAY – School ends at 11:50AM

3/3 NO SCHOOL – Teacher Planning Day

3/4-5 OBOB Battle

3/18 PTA Meeting - 7:00 in the Library

3/19 EARLY RELEASE DAY – School ends at 11:50AM

3/22-30 NO SCHOOL – Spring Break

3/29 Plant Sales Begin

4/3 End of Third Quarter

4/4 NO SCHOOL – Grading Day

4/7 NO SCHOOL – Teacher Planning Day

4/8-11 Book Fair

4/15 Plant Sales End

PTA Meeting - 7:00 in the Library

4/16 Class Picture Day

4/20 Earth Day Celebration

4/23 EARLY RELEASE DAY – School ends at 11:50AM

5/5-9 Teacher Appreciation Week