5/15/24

• 5/24 5th Grade Welcome to RGMS

• 5/27-6/1 6th Grade @ Outdoor School

• 6/06 8th Grade Celebration Day @ Oaks Park, 9:30am - 2:30pm

• 6/13 8th Grade Promotion in the Ida B. Wells Auditorium with PTA Family Reception to follow, 6:30pm

• Click here for the full RGMS calendar
  

Dear Robert Gray Middle School Community,

May is one of those months that flies by in school. We’re in the thick of testing, planning for next school year, working on end of the year activities and events, and each day, before you know it, it’s already 3:00.

This week has been just like that.

Yesterday, Principal Newlyn toured the Robert Gray Middle School facility with Superintendent Husk, representatives from the Oregon and RGMS PTA, members of the PPS facilities team, Representative Graber, Senator Lieber, and field reps from the Merkley, Bonamici, and Wyden offices. She answered questions as we reflect on the winter disaster that displaced our community and plan for an unpredictable future.

You heard from Dr. Franco about progress on the Gray restoration project, and we are already planning our move back to Robert Gray. We’re confident that we will start next school year at our campus with all of our students together under one (fixed) roof.

This year has been a challenge - as most of the last five have been - and our community is strong. We worked through a contentious labor dispute, lost a beloved staff member, Ms. Spring, to cancer, had our building incapacitated by weather, moved into an unfamiliar facility and reimagined school there, continue to face socio-political concerns that impact our youth and culture, and will always work to center student learning and social emotional growth.

Students are the center of what we do, and to that point - I leave you with a poem from Oregon Poet Laureate, William Stafford:

There’s a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread.

We don’t let go of that thread - education makes lives better.

In the Service of Students and Families,

Jeff Waters

Assistant Principal

Robert Gray Middle School

Promotion Ceremony Slide Show — Student Photos Needed
We’re creating a slideshow for the promotion and would like to represent all students. Please
submit 1-4 digital photos to be included in the Promotion slideshow by May 30th.

The photos should be:

• 100-300 DPI for display.
• One baby photo, one young child photo, and one current photo. An additional photo can
• include off-campus sports, adventures, or RGMS group shots with other 8th grade friends.
• Please keep photos, including clothing in photos, free of messages and in nice condition.
• No hand signals/gestures in photos, please.

To submit photos, please go to submit photos with this link by May 30th. This is a hard deadline, please help us get all RGMS 8th graders in the slide show! If you'd rather email photos, please send them to Kim Mathews xelakann@gmail.com Thanks!

Parents and Guardians,

We are thrilled to announce that our school has been awarded the opportunity to host a new

tour focused on financial literacy on our campus on Friday, May 24th!

Presented in a fun and entertaining game show format, Million Bazillion Live! “Who Wants to

be a Bazillionaire?” Sponsored by Greenlight is an immersive experience with personal finance

trivia and challenges. During their day of performances on campus, students will cheer on their

classmates while learning about real money matters such as budgeting, saving, investing and

interest rates. To learn more, please visit millionbazillionlive.com.

American Public Media’s® (APM) Marketplace®, the most widely consumed business and

economic news programming in the country, has partnered with Greenlight® Financial

Technology, Inc. (Greenlight), the fintech company focused on helping parents raise financially

smart kids, to launch this dynamic financial literacy tour.

The show is based on Million Bazillion, a Webby award-winning podcast from Marketplace®

that inspires families to talk about money. Described as “a godsend for anyone who knows a

little kid with big questions about money,” by the New York Times, the podcast tackles

questions from “What is a credit card” to “How do I save money?” and “How does inflation

work?” To hear Million Bazillion, listen here: https://link.chtbl.com/4xJ-T_34

We are so excited to have this tour at our school and look forward to watching our students

gain critical life skills while enjoying a live performance with their peers.

• Wk 2 05/13 - Math - ALL GRADES

• Wk 3 05/17 - Make-ups - ALL GRADES

• Wk 4 (Week of Outdoor School) - Science (8th GRADE ONLY)

Click here to see the Daily Student Announcements

Please remind your student to charge their Chromebook overnight so they are ready to use the next day at school.

Please use the Robert Gray MS phone number, 503 916 5676 to get ahold of RGMS secretaries. Calls are being forwarded to RGMS secretaries at Jackson MS.

We are looking forward to celebrating the Class of 2028 as they promote from RGMS in June! Some important dates to hold onto:

• 05/09 @ 9:30am - Ida B. Wells School Tour
• 06/06 @ 9:30am - 2:30pm Celebration Day @ Oaks Park
• 06/13 @ 6:30pm Promotion in the Ida B. Wells Auditorium with PTA Family Reception to follow

8th Grade Parents

Looking for a way to get involved at Ida B. Wells High School next year? The Ida B. Wells PTA works to keep parents informed, support teachers, advocate for the Ida B. Wells community, and fund teacher grants and academic programs. We provide funds for classroom projects, staff recognition, and academic scholarships, as well as arrange parent education workshops and sponsor the grad night party.

The IBW PTA is looking to fill leadership positions for 2024-2025. Most positions involve a time commitment of only 2-5 hours/month, with meetings about every other month. We still need to fill the following board roles: president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, and membership. Open committee chair: fundraising. Experienced board and committee members are available to assist in the transition next year.

Learn more about the IBW PTA on the school website here. For an overview of all the IBW parent groups see here. Questions? Email Julie Worley at idabwellspta@gmail.com.

he RGMS Foundation raises money to augment our elective options. The money raised is used at the principals discretion.

BottleDrop Drive

1. Get Blue bags from the following locations: Rieke area-1656 SW Sunset Blvd.; Hayhurst area: 5252 SW Idaho St.; Bridlemile area-4031 SW Jerald Way

2 Fill Your Bags!

3. Return Full Bags to any BottleDrop location or Burlingame Fred Meyer.

4 Scan the Barcode on the bag to unlock the self-service bag drop.

Questions: Melissa Light, grayschoolfoundation@gmail.com

Last PTA Meeting of the Year NEXT WEDNESDAY (May 15, 2024) at 6:30 – Over Zoom!!!!

PTA meetings occur the 3rd Wednesday of every month. Next week’s meeting will be over Zoom.

Special guest, Andrew Scott, our local School Board Representative, will join us to talk about the local levy PPS is sponsoring to support funding for teacher positions.

We will be electing the executive officers for next year and will also approve the budget.

Zoom information is as follows:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86339523318?pwd=TmZubFFFWWRFWlBaYzZLQnJ2V0lqZz09

Meeting ID: 863 3952 3318

Haven’t joined the PTA yet? Do so now using this link.

You will have to select “ROBERT GRAY MS PTA (PORTLAND)” as your “Local Unit”. The rest

is straightforward and takes less than 5 minutes to complete. Membership is $20 for the year.

Do you wish to make a one-time or recurring donation to PTA? You can do so here. Click “Donate” then enter your amount and indicate your intent to donate monthly if desired!

Robert Gray PTA Volunteer Opportunities

Looking for ways to get involved this year? Use the following form to sign up for the events you are interested in and you will receive a follow up email with additional information. The time and support of our volunteers is greatly appreciated. Without it we couldn't make special Gray events happen! Some of these events include Run for Gray, Teacher Appreciation Week, Bottle Drop Fundraiser, Sustainability and extra supervision during lunch time, and more. Please consider volunteering or donating as you are able.

RGMS Volunteer Sign-up

Thank you for your time and support! Looking forward to a great year!

RGMS PTA

Get text alerts about school closures, delays, emergencies and school events:

Text YES to 68453

Email: lnewlyn@pps.net
Website: https://www.pps.net/gray
Location: 5505 Southwest 23rd Avenue, Portland, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 916-5676
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertgraymiddleschool
Attendance Reporting: grayattend@pps.net