Week 16! Winter Break is here!!

December 20, 2024

The January 6-10 menu was not available before we sent this week's newsletter out. If you are interested, it will be found HERE when they finalize it.

Thank you to all of you who have turned in blue bags! At yesterday's assembly 16 randomly chosen students got to silly string our amazing first grade teacher Ms. Jenkins! Please enjoy the video as much as the students did yesterday!

Are you not recieving messages or updates from Llewellyn? Are you getting them on multiple platforms like text, email, and Remind app? Only want one or two or maybe all 3? Please see the attached guidance on how to update your communication preferences in Remind.

How to change notification preferences in Remind : PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS | Support Portal

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.

I have attached printable 211info materials in multiple languages for distribution to families in need of assistance. Our outreach team members are available to table at local events and to provide presentations to staff and families as well. Please feel free to reach out with any questions.

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.

Join the Cleveland Tenacity Dance Team for a Half Day Junior Dance Clinic on Sunday, January 12th. Open to all students grades K-8, no dance experience necessary. All the details and information including registration can be found on our team page or the attached flyer/QR code. Registration is open through 12/31 (to insure a t-shirt). Makes a wonderful holiday gift, we will happily email you a gift certificate PDF for the holidays if you'd like.Thank you for supporting The Cleveland Tenacity Dance Team!

https://www.clevelandwarriorathletics.com/tenacitydance

The Family and Teacher TAG referral window is now open and will remain open until January 10th, 2025. The goal of this second referral round is to identify students who may not have been referred during the Fall data-driven referral window. This includes but is not limited to, those students in K-2 who do not participate in MAP and OSAS testing, as well as those in 3-5 for whom computer-based assessments present a roadblock in demonstrating their academic level and need. Families of 2nd grade students who have scored at or above the 95th percentile on the screening assessment for intellectual giftedness (called NNAT) will be notified in January 2025 that their student will be evaluated for TAG identification based on that assessment.

The referral process this year has changed from previous years. Families interested in referring their student for TAG should contact their classroom teacher after the Winter break to discuss their student’s needs. Teachers submitting a referral will complete a reflection about their experience with the student in the classroom and consider several things, including:

• How quickly does this student master new concepts and skills?

• Is the student providing insights and thinking about topics in a way that is different from most students?

• In what ways (if any) does the teacher already need to differentiate for this student to support their success?

Once this reflection is completed, additional work samples and assessment data will be collected before the Llewellyn TAG team meets to make a final decision. Once a decision is reached, parents will be informed via email, prior to April 24, 2025.

The TAG website has more information on evaluation and identification.

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!

Website news! The district is in the process of switching website providers, please be patient as the website changes daily. We essentially have no control over the website until the process is complete! Please reach out to the office if you have any questions that need clarification.

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.

As Principal Collins noted in last week's newsletter, our playground update has turned into a much larger endeavor to create an inclusive, accessible, and climate-resilient natural space for both learning and play. The process is actually quite involved, so we're creating this space to provide you regular updates. Here's a quick update of what we've been up to and what we need your help with.

Here is what we are working on now:

• Preparing for a needs analysis meeting with PPS in early January
• Approaching community partners to enhance our grant applications
• Finding and applying for funding (this will be a $1 million+ project when it's all done)
• Working with the design firm on the site plan (due in Q1 2025)
• Identifying landscape designers to create the designs once the site plan is complete
• Meetings scheduled with Friends of Oaks Bottom and SMILE

What we need right now:

• Anyone with connections to local organizations that might support this project: tribal communities, Depave, Johnson Creek Watershed Council, etc.
• Anyone with grant writing experience willing to pitch in to help us put our best foot forward

If you can help, please email our Meredith, our parent volunteer project lead, at meredith.goddard@gmail.com, and she'll get you up to speed.

We understand that the upcoming federal leadership transition may bring feelings of uncertainty for people in our community. This is especially true for many immigrants and people in marginalized communities. We also know that many of our students and families are experiencing similar feelings of fear and unease.

At Portland Public Schools, our commitment to equity and the inherent dignity of every individual remains steadfast. Our top priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of all students and staff, and we will continue to work tirelessly to uphold that responsibility. We are committed to upholding Oregon law prohibiting state and local law enforcement from arresting or detaining people based only on immigration status.

For additional resources please see the following: Know Your Rights: Immigrants' Rights | ACLU of Oregon

Next year 6th to 8th grade educators will be transitioning to a Standards-Based Grading Report Card. As current 5th grade families, we encourage you to take a look at the following link for more information.

YMCA care will be running through the winter break. They will be open 7:30-5:30 December 23, 26, 27, 30, and January 2, 3. They will be open 7:30-3 on December 24 and 31. If you do not regularly attend the YMCA after care please reach out to ychildcare@ymcacw.org or call the YMCA main office at (503)327-0007 for more information.

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.

Thank you again to everyone who gave food items and gift cards for our winter break food drive! We sent home two big food bags with 12 families for the winter break. We were also able to fulfill our Giving Tree and gather gifts for all these families as well. We are so proud to be a part of such a generous community! Look out for more community projects in the new year! Together we shine!

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

6-8 educators will be transitioning to a Standards-Based Grading Report Card. Please include the attached messages in your newsletters home to inform current families of fifth graders. Link to more information.

12/21-1/5 NO SCHOOL – Winter Break

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

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

3/3 NO SCHOOL – Teacher Planning Day

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

4/4 NO SCHOOL – Grading Day

4/7 NO SCHOOL – Teacher Planning Day