WELCOME TO ARLETA'S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER!
We’re so glad to have you as part of our school community!
This weekly newsletter is developed and sent in partnership between school administration and the PTA. If you have information you'd like shared in the newsletter, please email it to ArletaSchoolPTA@gmail.com. Keep scrolling for the latest.
INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge Portland rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla and many other Tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River. #HonorNativeLand https://youtu.be/ETOhNzBsiKA
DOLPHIN DRIVE IN ITS LAST 24 HOURS
The Dolphin Drive makes the Family Movie nights, the Holiday Bazaar, and school play, and the end-of-the-year picnic possible! Please help us by donating what you can to make sure we can continue to have events that bring our community together and make memories for us all!
FALL CONFERENCES
Starting tomorrow at 8am, you will be able to sign up for a Parent/Teacher conference timeslot at MyConFerenceTime.com/dolphin. That's the same day that teachers will be reviewing all the assessment data they have gathered and writing report cards to share with you. At the conferences you will have the opportunity to discuss your students’ progress with their teacher.
Conferences will be held on Monday, November 25 and Tuesday, November 26, between 8:00am and 7:30pm. Conferences will be in person and scheduled for 25 minutes.
PPS BOARD MEETING - NOV 6
The next PPS Board meeting is on November 6th, from 6-9pm at Dr. Matthew Prophet Education Center (Prophet Center), 501 N. Dixon Street. To see public notices for all upcoming board meetings or to submit public comment, please click here.
To see recordings of past board meetings click here.
PICTURE RETAKE DAY - NOV 13
Picture Retake Day happens to all of us, sometimes. Never fear. We've got you covered!
If you missed picture day entirely: Orders may be placed online by searching by clicking here and selecting the green Order button next to your school retake day event. Online orders are available up to 4 days after retake day. If you already ordered and want a new picture taken please be sure to return your original picture packet to the photographer on retake day.
If you have pictures from picture day, but want a re-do: Let your child know to retake their photos and send them to school on the 13th with the original packet of photos. Volunteers will enter each classroom in turn and ask who is getting their pictures retaken. Your child should just go with them, turn in the packet of original photos to the photographer and then retake their picture.
And on that note, if you can volunteer to help escort students from the classroom to the get their pictures taken and back again, please email Rene Viloria in the office, at rviloria@pps.net. We'll need help from 8:30 to approximately 10:45! We need just two or three volunteers.
NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH STARTS TOMORROW!
November is Native American Heritage Month! In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including “Native American Heritage Month” and “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month”) have been issued each year since 1994. This was the result of over 100 years of advocates arguing that setting aside time and space to celebrate Indigenous Americans' accomplishments and culture is important and vital to the nation.
Each week in the newsletter we'll highlight different topics of interest and provide different resources for you to learn about and explore indigenous cultures, history, and accomplishments with your kids.
This week, we're giving an overview of some basic resources and local events that offer you simple ways to support, learn about, and share native culture!
Find out whose land you live on by using this interactive map!
Read suggestions on how to celebrate Native American Heritage Month from First Nations Development Institute.
Buy from local businesses run by indigenous peoples using The Portland Indigenous Marketplace as a guide!
Virtually explore the Smithsonian's National Museum of the Native American!
Watch shows on OPB that celebrate Native American Heritage Month!
Check out the National Park Service's resources on Native American Heritage Month!
Read this history on the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde and explore their website!
Support NAYA's Gala and Auction on November 8th!
Go to the Frybread Fest, a free event at Director Park on November 9th!
Bring your older students to Renegade Opera's production of Little Ones, a dark comedic opera following Marigold, a 17 year old student at a Native American Residential School written by daughters of residential school survivors.
If you know a kid under age 6, bring them to Native Friends and Family Storytime at Holgate Library on November 5th!
Or, mark your calendar to learn to turn an invasive plant into a useful basket with Celeste Whitewolf at Holgate Library on Saturday November 30th!
And keep an eye of for the City of Portland's public art installations celebrating Native American Heritage Month all month long!
LET THE BATTLES BEGIN!
OBOB season is upon us once again and we are gearing up for another thrilling year of reading, trivia, nerves of steel (parents!), and competition! If you have a 3rd-5th grade student at Arleta, then this is for YOU!!! OBOB stands for Oregon Battle of the Books and is a free, statewide reading competition where teams of 2-5 students battle each other to see who knows their books the best!
If you'd like to sign up, you can register at the link HERE. Or, you can turn in the paper registration sent home with your student. There are extra copies in the library if you've lost yours. If you're not sure and want to find out more, come to our Orientation/Info Session on December 12th after school in the library. Copies of all of the books are available in the library, and digitally on SORA. For more information, head to the Arleta OBOB Website.
Happy Reading!!"
NEW BLOOMS IN THE ARLETA GARDEN
This year in the school garden first graders, both Mr. Nelson and Ms. Katherines class, planted violets and pansies to be a bright spot for us through the winter. We explored seeds generously donated by Portland Nursery. So many sizes and textures! We planted arugula, wild mustards, hardy salad greens mix and garlic. We look forward to inviting our younger grades into the garden this coming spring with an emphasis on place-based observation, interconnectedness and care.
The Arleta PTA supported our fourth grade walking field trips to the Multnomah County Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden earlier this fall and plans are being made for more Arleta grades (2nd-5th) to go in the spring. This is a wonderful resource for our students to have an immersive experience in an established garden and learn hands-on ecology. Master Gardener volunteers present modules that include bees and pollination, the soil microbiome, consumers and recyclers, CO2, carbon and more!
For more information about this program check out their website here!
The Arleta Garden Team is hoping to recruit volunteers and collaborators to help out with the school garden and grounds this fall and coming spring. We have ideas we hope to implement, including some landscape projects that really require a team effort. Thanks to our continued fundraising we have a strong working budget to do so!
Sign up to volunteer on Konstella by clicking on Directories, then Committees, and then Arleta Garden and Grounds Volunteers! Signing up is not a commitment, it’s just a way for us to connect directly with an organized group of volunteers. We would appreciate having you, our impacts are so much greater as a team!
5TH GRADE BAKE SALE RAISES $473 FOR HURRICANE VICTIMS
Last Friday, 5th graders organized a bake sale in support of hurricane victims in and raised $473! Amazing! Here's a note from Ms. Blei:
"The funds raised will be going directly to victims of Hurricane Helene at Enka Middle School, Buncombe County Schools, North Carolina.
My friend Heather Cavner, School Counselor, and her team will be able to use the funds to support both physical and emotional needs for the students and staff. Everything from potable water and tissues to comfort items for students to use in their classrooms as they heal from this ongoing trauma to their community. Here are some words directly from Heather:
"I'm so appreciate to you all taking the time to do this and also make cards. We are so thankful that we have no student losses and no houses that washed away. What we do have is students and staff who have trees that damaged their homes so they can’t live in them, people with flooded basements and all that comes with that. About half of our kids don’t have drinkable water at home and cannot bathe in this water. Families that have lost their business completely, people have been laid off. Then there is everyone’s individual experiences of being cut off when the storm occurred, not able to communicate with loved ones to find out if they are alive, not being able to get out of your home to get food, water, and supplies. And then this weird aftermath of trying to figure things out with still so much trauma everywhere.
It really is amazing to have so many people help out from all over. Thank you for helping me and my students out"
REMINDER! SURVEY FOR COMMUNITY NEEDS - PLEASE COMPLETE BY TODAY OCT 31
The counselors at Arleta welcome back students and families! The counseling team and SUN would like to invite you to fill out our yearly Community Needs Survey. When you complete the form, all responses are kept confidential and someone from the team will be in touch!
The counselors have a great list of community resources on their website: https://sites.google.com/pps.net/arletacounseling/resources/resources-directory
ORDER ARLETA SPIRIT GEAR ONLINE WITHOUT PAYING FOR SHIPPING!
Have you been wanting Arleta Spirit gear but just keep forgetting to order or don’t want to pay for the shipping? Now is the chance to place a pre-order for Arleta clothing and not pay shipping!! Fill out this google form with all the details before Friday November 15, 2024 and we will order it for you. Items will be available at the Holiday Bazaar on Dec. 7th. Arrangements can be made if you are unable to attend the bazaar, see form for details.
See https://arletaschool.threadless.com/ for options. Not all items available, please see notes on the Google form.
Questions? Please email arletaptafundraiserchair@gmail.com
SEEKING AN ARLETA PTA WEBSITE VOLUNTEER
Arleta PTA's website helps parents connect to programs and keeps us all updated on events and resources at the school. But did you know it's run by parent volunteers? We need a new volunteer to upload flyers and information to our GoDaddy website. Knowledge of html or other web languages is not necessary but some familiarity with website building software is a plus (though not a requirement) and the tasks take about 30-45 minutes once a week. This is a way to help Arleta from the comfort of your home! Our outgoing volunteer Sheryl Moren will train you.
To volunteer please email the PTA by clicking the button below.
ARLETA FOOD PANTRY, CLOTHES CLOSET, & FAMILY TOILETRIES
Arleta has a small food pantry, clothes closet, and a variety of toiletries available for the use of any Arleta family. To set up an appointment to use the pantry or the closet, please email our SUN School Coordinator, Raina Bilbrew at rbilbrew@pps.net or raina.bilbrew@portlandoregon.gov or call or text her at 971-803-8986.
GET PTA MESSAGES, EVENTS, & SIGN-UPS THROUGH KONSTELLA
Konstella is the website and app that the PTA is using for events, family communication and volunteer opportunities.
We encourage all Arleta parents and caregivers to download the Konstella app today using invitation code FH3W5B, then tap Join in the email you get. OR, sign up on Konstella.
If you have any troubles or questions, feel free to reach out to our school’s Konstella Admin and parent, Lisa Hugelier, lisa.hugelier@gmail.com
JOIN THE PTA FOR FREE
We'd love to invite everyone in the Arleta community to become a PTA member for free! Joining the PTA is a great way to connect with others, support projects and programs that support our students, and amplifies your voice in issues that impact our school.
Signing up only takes a couple minutes - https://arletapta.memberhub.com/store (one free membership per household, additional memberships are $10)
SUPPORT ARLETA THROUGH BOTTLEDROP
ARLETA SPIRIT WEAR AVAILABLE ONLINE 24/7
Get your Arleta spirit wear! Shop online 24/7 and have your items shipped to your home anytime! There are t-shirts, hoodies, tanks, mugs, and more. Check out the online store here: https://arletaschool.threadless.com/
ARLETA YARD SIGNS AVAILABLE!
LINK YOUR FRED MEYER REWARDS CARD TO SUPPORT ARLETA
Arleta PTA participates in the Fred Meyer Community Rewards
By linking your Fred Meyer Rewards card to the Arleta PTA and scanning your rewards card when you shop, a percentage of your purchase goes to the PTA. Sign up here. (And you'll still get your cash back rewards!)
Email: ArletaSchoolPTA@gmail.com
Website: arletapta.org
Location: 5109 SE 66th Avenue
Phone: 503-916-6330
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArletaElementaryK5