Astor Connection

Principal's Message

Important Dates

Info, Reminders and Resources for Families

Resources

Volunteering opportunities at Astor

PPS District Fliers

Dear Astor Community,

We are entering the last week prior to the final quarter of the school year! It's a perfect time to remind our families know about the importance of attendance. As we enter our final stretches of full weeks, please reach out to your classroom teacher or our student support teacher if your student has any barriers to attending school daily and arriving on time. You can reach the student support team through the office at 503-916-6244, and they are available to support with anything from housing and transportation to in school supports, too.

Later this month, our OSAS testing begins. Please reach out to your student's teacher with any questions that you have regarding this. Otherwise, it looks to be a somewhat quiet month. However, we do have various planning teams meeting to prepare for the AAPI event in May and other end of year traditions. If you're interested in gettin involved, then don't hesitate to reach out to our Astor PTSO or directly to me at brobertson@pps.net.

Finally, this past month we finalized staffing for the 25-26 school year. While it might seem early to do this, it's the first step in the budgeting process for our district. There is a 40 million dollar shortfall in the coming cycle. Astor has already had many cuts over the years and our enrollment has stayed somewhat stable. While we do have some student support positions that will not be at Astor, we are gaining staffing in special education. It's always important to advocate for additional state public school funding. You can learn more about what you can do here, and I encourage you to learn more. We do expect to have open positions in our PPS internal round. As soon as these positions are finalized, I'll provide our community with a complete list of teacher classroom assignments for next year. I expect this to be no later than early June.

Here's to a wonderful month, and please don't hesitate to reach out to our office, student support team, or me if there is anything that we can do to support your student and family.

Warmly,

Blake Robertson

Principal @ Astor

This school year we’ve been grateful to partner with Portland Backpack to provide food sacks with kid friendly food for the weekends. Unfortunately, Portland Backpack is experiencing the hardship of rising food prices and funding that can’t keep up with inflation. As of this April the program is pausing with uncertainty around when it will resume. At Astor we will provide one last round of food bags to go home, but after this week until further notice we’re unable to cover this gap in services. We apologize for any challenges this may cause.

For continued food support you can click here for a list of nearby food pantries or utilize the Oregon Food Bank food finder here.

Student and Family Calendar and Handbook

April - Calendar

3rd - End of 3rd quarter

4th - No School

7th - No School

8th - New Quarter and Electives for MS Students.

8th - K-8 Release at 3:15pm

8th - 2nd Graders begin swim lessons! FT

11th.- Principal Coffee Chat at 8:55am at rear of school

11th - Astor MS Drama Performance at 6:30pm

14th - Report cards go home this week

15th - Site Council at 5pm

17th - Connect to Kindergarten at 5:30pm (Incoming Kindergarten students for 25-26)

21st - First Grade at the Zoo FT

23rd - Early Release at 12:45pm for K-8

24th - Talent Show for students during day @ 2pm

25th - Talent Show for parents @ 6pm

25th - 7th Grade at Hoyt FT

additional links OFB sent out:

• Know Your Rights When Dealing With Police and Immigration

• What to Do if Immigration Comes to Your Workplace

• Trans Lifeline: Offering Direct Financial and Emotional Support to trans people

• TransgenderLawCenter: Legal Support for Trans Folks

Rosa Parks School and Community Services Network are hosting a health and wellness resource fair for the North Portland Community coming up on SATURDAY April 26th, 11a-3p.

There will be community partners, vendors, takeaway food from the Oregon Food Bank, Free Chiropractic massage care, food to enjoy on site, and hopefully a couple of speakers to share about resources for the community. Find details in the flyer below

See the flyer below for more info on this 4th annual AAPI Event opportunity!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ik1ymNOB0mZmnHYAJvc13-wDL9cbgVpefjhHKAzdLBo/edit?tab=t.0

See the link below for wonderful opportunities found and some organized by our PTSO!

https://www.astorptso.org/after-school-programs

We happy to announce that Cathedral Performing Arts Collective will be offering Musical Theater for grades 3-5 on Thursdays after school at Astor! Please use the link to register and find information about pricing and times.

https://www.hisawyer.com/cathedral-park-performing-arts-collective/schedules/activity-set/1345746

We’re excited to announce Parkour Visions is expanding our after-school programs on Wednesdays at Astor School this Spring. Our offering now includes a Level 2 class for our more advanced students!

Parkour is a fantastic activity for kids who love being physically active but may not connect with traditional team sports. Parkour builds physical competence and confidence and equips children with valuable tools to overcome everyday challenges! Tiered pricing and scholarships are available.

Register: https://parkourvisions.org/astor-school

More info: https://parkourvisions.org/after-school

The Ukulele Project is excited to share our brand new Spring curriculum written by Childhood Development Expert, Brittany Brook and Ukulele Project Founder, Jeff Kerestes. This new curriculum focuses on making learning fun and exciting through game play, memorable songs and entertaining stories. Students can expect to learn new chords, new and traditional songs plus play a bunch of new music games. We will even be making up our own songs in class! The curriculum is designed for new AND returning students and it will be all new content for everyone! We expect these classes to fill up quickly so sign up today at www.theukuleleproject.com Join us as we all strum our way to a brighter future.

WEDNESDAYS
3:15-4:15

Grades K-3

April 9 - June 4 / 7 classes

no class April 23 and May 21

Register HERE

They are also hosting 5 weeks of summer camp this summer!

See the Parkour sign ups for after school here.

Link is here

Astor is excited to partner with Portland Backpack in the fall to increase our capacity to support the whole student. Portland Backpack is a nonprofit aimed at reducing hunger in student populations; they provide food sacks for weekend days. Read more about their mission here.

This fall, we'll have an opportunity for families to sign up. Reach out to Theresa with any questions you have at tscottmerrion@pps.net

You can learn more about the right to return program here. Please share with any families that you know might be interested.

You can find information about PPS HR here. The positions below would directly serve our community. Reach out to Principal Robertson (brobertson@pps.net) if you have any questions about these opportunities.

Paraeducator Substitute - (Position Number 26085) This position supports our students throughout Astor and is important for our continuum of services. We are looking for substitute paraeductors whenever our team members are absent for the day. It's a great way to get involved with a wonderful group of educators! Apply at PPS HR or reach out to Principal Robertson for more information at brobertson@pps.net.

Please share with your families: the LGBTQ+ Caregiver Support Guide, and the *newly updated* Apoyando Nuestras Jóvenes - a culturally and linguistically appropriate adaptation. At the request and guidance of PPS LGBTQ+ youth, these guides offer families and trusted adults tools and resources to better understand and support the youth in their lives. This project was made possible by PPS LGBTQ+ youth, local partners, and SAY Wellness, a CDC DASH Grant led by the Health and PE Department.

LGBTQ+ Caregiver Guide (English)

Apoyando Nuestras Jovenes (Spanish LGBTQ+ Caregiver Guide)

Health and Physical Education Homepage

The loss of loved ones or any loss can be challenign for our children. See the link for resources at TIP NW (Trauma Intervention Program Northwest): https://www.tipnw.org/

And, additional resources below...

We ask again that community members avoid Yale whenever possible in order to reduce traffic. It will be a Safe School Street again this year. You can learn more info about our traffic flow below and here. Thanks for support with this!

Questions? Contact Shane Nevius, PPS Safe Routes to School Coordinator, at snevius@pps.net or visit pps.net/saferoutes

(Translations are linked here):

******

Dear Families and Students,

We are so glad to have you back at school! We also wanted to remind you about actions you can take to stay healthy so you can stay in class and be ready to learn:

• Illness: Please keep your child home when they have symptoms that may exclude them from school.

• Student health conditions: Please update the school and nurse if there has been any change in your student's health condition during the time of the strike.

• Student medications: Please replenish medications that your student may need to receive during the school day. Also, remember to pick up your student’s expired medications from the school.

• State-required vaccines/immunizations: Ensure your student is up-to-date on all school-required immunizations. Students who do not provide proper immunization documentation by February 21, 2024 will be excluded from school. Primary care providers - including Student Health Centers and Multnomah County Health Department - provide no- to low-cost vaccinations to students.

• Access to health care: Multnomah County Student Health Centers and the Benson Wellness Center remain open during regular hours. Student Health Centers are a great place for students to receive sports physicals, well-child visits, school immunizations (shots), COVID-19 testing, vaccines & boosters, mental/behavioral health, age-appropriate reproductive services, routine lab tests, and prescription refills.

Health care coverage/insurance: People of any age or immigration status may be eligible for full Oregon Health Plan (OHP) benefits. OHP is Oregon's Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program. Click here to learn more about eligibility, and to apply or report changes online. Families who do not qualify for OHP can sign up for health coverage during the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace open enrollment period, occurring now through January 15, 2024. Financial help for Marketplace plans also may be available. Find out what coverage and savings you can get - and find free, local help - at OregonHealthCare.gov.

Do you have 1 hour a week to make a difference in children’s literacy lives? Volunteer for SMART Reading at Astor School. Tuesdays, 1:15-2:15 PM. Learn more here: https://smartreading.org. Or contact Greg Dilkes: astor.mu@smartreading.org

Interested in volunteering at Astor! Your child's teacher may have opportunities, but we also have a great volunteering program. Astor Shine is back for it's second year. You can learn more about the program and sign up here. Thanks for your partnership in supporting our programs at Astor!

• • Camps, Classes, & After School Programs:

    • VIBE PDX Spring Break & Summer Art & Music Camps (Mar. 3, Mar. 24-28, Jun. 16 - Aug. 29)

    • USTA Spring Tennis Afterschool Zone at Maplewood (Apr. 8 - May 13)

    • VIBE PDX No-School Youth Sewing Classes (Jan. 27-28, Feb. 17, Mar. 3, Mar. 24-28)

    • Cognizart 31st Annual Young Artists Debut! Concert & Showcase (apply by Feb. 24 – Deadline extended again)

    • Portland Parks & Rec Teen Force at SW Community Center

    • VIBE of Portland Music & Digital Art Classes for Kids

    • Portland Parks & Rec Environmental Education Nature Field Trips (flyer for teachers)

    Summer Camps:

    • VIBE PDX East Winds Band Camp (Jul. 21-25, 2025, recorded audition due Jul. 10)

    • Cognizart 360Arts Summer Camps (Jul. 7-11, 14-18, & 21-25, 2025)

    • OSU Summer Reading Program (Jun. 14 - Aug. 16, 2025)

    Preschool Programs:

    • Multnomah Early Childhood Program Peer Preschool Classes
      (Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali) (Korean) (Arabic) (Persian)

    • Portland Parks Preschool 2024-25

    Community Events & Information:

    • Multnomah County: Common Application

    • City of Portland: 311 Non-Emergency Hotline
      (Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali)

    Vaccinations, Health & Wellness:

    • Multnomah County Student Health Center Immunization Catch-Up Reminder

    • Oregon Health Plan & Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace

    • Multnomah County: Free Community Vaccination Clinic (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays)
      (English) (Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali)

    • Multnomah County: Student Health Centers (fliers in English, Russian, Chinese, and Vietnamese):

    • Cleveland HS

    • Franklin HS

    • Jefferson HS

    • McDaniel HS

    • Roosevelt HS