Irvington Weekly Newsletter

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a restful two weeks away from school, and I'm happy to report that it's been a smooth transition back. And it's been an eventful week: on Thursday, we hosted Superintendent Armstrong and members of her staff. (Below is a picture of her in Mr Ogletree's room.) We look forward to more exciting events as 2025 unfurls!

The next movie night is tonight: Friday, January 10, and we’ll be showing Migration. See all the details below:

• Where: School cafeteria

• When: Friday, January 10. Doors open and disco party at 6:15pm, movie begins at 6:30pm. Use the cafeteria doors behind the school for entry/exit.

• Who: Irvington students and their families. Children MUST be accompanied by an adult.

• Food and Drink: Free popcorn provided! Please bring your own water bottles filled with water only. Picnic dinners are ok, too. Thank you in advance for cleaning up after yourselves.

• Seating: Bring a blanket or camp chair to sit on. Cafeteria tables are also available.

• Disco: Enjoy some fun lights, music and dancing before the show and during a short intermission.

Family Gym “Night” is now in the morning! Bring the whole family and join us in the Irvington School Gym Sunday, January 12, from 10-12pm. We’ll have music and will cycle through a variety of organized games during the two hour block. Past activities have included bowling, obstacle courses, community-building games, soccer, floor hockey, parachute, kids vs. adults games, and more. Enter through the gym doors at the back of the school. Knock loudly when you arrive. Please come by any time during open hours. All kids should have a supervising adult present. Questions? Email familynight@irvingtonschool.com!

The next PTA General Meeting is Monday, January 13, 5:30-7:30pm. At this meeting, we’ll vote on the ball wall proposal presented at the last meeting, hear a new proposal to donate money to Harriet Tubman Middle School, and have updates from our various committees.

Free dinner and childcare are provided. Dinner (for both children and adults) runs from 5:30-6:00, with the meeting beginning at 6:00 in the school library. Childcare runs the whole time, so feel free to bring your kiddos. Enter the building through the front doors of the school. Either ring the buzzer or text the phone number taped to the front door to be let in. The meeting will also be offered virtually. See you there!

Please join us for our third annual Irvington Read-A-Thon: When we READ, we SOAR! This is a school-wide inclusive event where EVERYONE is encouraged to participate by reading and logging their minutes to reach school-wide goals and earn school-wide prizes! It is also an optional fundraiser, where your student may request pledges from friends and family to support their reading and our school. This year, proceeds from this fundraiser will be directed towards the literacy supports that the PTA provides to Irvington: individual tutoring, reading software, and supplemental library funding. Any amount raised above our goal will go to the PTA general fund. Everybody reads to support literacy!

Our Read-A-Thon is January 21-31, 2025, so this is the week to get set up and ready to go. Like last year (and like the Fun Run earlier this year), we're using Pledgestar as our web-based system that makes it easy for you to log your minutes, request pledges from your family and friends, and for them to make secure credit card donations online. Please check your student’s backpack today for all the instructions on how to get started. THIS WEEK you’ll want to make a plan for logging minutes, and start requesting pledges if you’re participating in the fundraising aspect of this event. Let’s take a flight into a good book and support literacy at Irvington!

3rd-5th grade students are invited to enter into the annual Yearbook Cover Contest! Expect to see a flyer come home in today's Friday Folder. (You can also see it here.)

January: Counselor Corner Monthly Update

Learn ways to manage through the Winter Blues and how to celebrate National "Thank You" Month!

The clothing drive is next week! Bring your donation-worthy clothing from Monday, January 13, through Friday, January 17, either to the blue bin inside the front door, or look for Hungry Harvey at drop off or pick up. Donations will be made to the PTA/PPS Clothing Center which furnishes age-appropriate clothing to any PPS student in need.

We DO accept:

• Clean and gently used clothing sizes newborn to 4x

• Clothing for all seasons, including shorts and swimsuits as well as winter outerwear

• NEW underwear only, new/like new socks

• Footwear, sportswear, backpacks, lunch boxes and water bottles

We DO NOT accept:

• Used underwear

• Stained, dirty or worn out items

• Broken items or anything needing repair

• Cloth masks

Interested in helping out? Volunteers are still needed to collect and sort clothing. Sign up here!

Interested in working for Portland Public Schools as a special educator? Click here for more information

Join the Green Team for the next meeting on Thursday, January 16, after school (~2:40pm) by the small playground. The Irvington Green Team works to raise awareness about the environment and promote sustainable practices in our school. We encourage recycling, saving energy, and reducing waste. Our team leads projects to lower the school's carbon footprint and teaches others about the importance of protecting the environment.

Friday, January 10: Movie night, 6:15pm

Sunday, January 12: Family gym "night," 10am-12pm

Monday, January 13: Clothing drive begins

Monday, January 13: Popcorn Monday, 2:30pm

Monday, January 13: PTA meeting, 5:30pm dinner and 6:00pm meeting

Thursday, January 16: Green Team meeting, 2:40pm

Friday, January 17: Clothing drive ends

Monday, January 20: No school (Martin Luther King, Jr., Day)

Tuesday, January 21: Read-A-Thon begins

Wednesday, January 22: Lost and found at drop-off

Thursday, January 23: Lost and found at pick-up

See it all at a glance here: https://www.irvingtonschool.com/