• November 1: No school for students - Teacher Grading Day
  
• November 4: No school for students - Teacher Planning Day
• November 11: Schools closed for holiday
  
• November 14: Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
• November 20: Early Release - Dismissal at 11:50 a.m.
• November 25-26: No school for students - Parent Teacher Conferences
  
• November 27-29: Schools closed for holiday
• December 23-January 3: Schools closed for winter break
• January 6: First Day of School in the new year - 2025!

2024-25 District Calendar

Hello Duniway Families,

I hope you all have had a good week. I spoke about the weather last week and I can't help but mention it again as today we are enjoying a beautiful fall day. I know rain is in the forecast for the weekend and we will soak up this warm sun while we have it.

It was great to see many of you turn out this morning at our Principal Coffee event. At the Principal Coffee, I shared that we are reassembling our Site Council this school year and we are looking for four parents to join us on this leadership team comprised of school staff (including me) and parents. The Site Council (SC) is responsible for developing, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the Duniway School Continuous Improvement Plan (SCIP). The requirements and purpose of the site council is outlined in Portland Public Schools Policy 7.10.010-P. The Duniway Site Council will meet monthly on Tuesday afternoons from 2:45-3:45pm. This is a great opportunity for those who would like to assume a parent leadership position in the school. If you are interested in joining the Site Council as a parent/guardian member, please fill out this form: Site Council Interest Form. If we have more than four parents interested, we will organize a vote amongst parents to choose the representatives.

Speaking of leadership, I am excited to announce we have formed a Student Council at Duniway this school year. Over the past few weeks, many students in grades 3-5 have stepped forward as candidates to be elected as class representatives for the Duniway Student Council. During this past week, student candidates read speeches to their classmates and later students voted for two representatives for their class. Some additional representatives were chosen by their teacher. Student Council members will be meeting with Dr. Melvin 1-2 times monthly and will take on projects to improve and help the school as a whole. Congratulations to our new Duniway Student Council Members:

3rd grade: Roman Piersol, Mara Squires, Ari Saslow, Margaret Nowak, Emma O'Brien, Savvy Williams

4th grade : Kasia Dytham, Davie Hoelzer, Caleb McGovern, Ellie Shackel, Charles Esterling, Anne Moisch

5th grade: Maya Hackett, Audrey Soots, Lucas Slovik, Grace Maljai, Claire Spiteri, Emmett Duggan, Gus Randolph

One of the first projects for the Student Council will be to choose a range of ideas for our school spirit days which all students will choose during our school election on Tuesday, November 5 (National Election Day). Students will be voting on a range of topics (spirit days, name of new play structure, and others). Stay tuned for more information next week! That is all for now and I hope you all have a great weekend!

Sincerely

John (aka- Dr. Melvin)

Our whole school performed "Thriller" for our all school assembly on Wednesday. Students learned the dance moves with Ms. Lisa and Mrs. Adams in our combined Music/PE classes last week!

Here are two videos of our Little Monsters!

Please remember that we do not allow students to wear Halloween costumes in school, nor do we allow students to bring candy. To promote learning and avoid distractions, it will have to wait until after school.

School attendance is very important. Did you know that students with good attendance are 4 times more likely to graduate high school than those who are chronically absent?

Chronically absent means missing more than 2 days per month.

This year, please help us provide the best possible education to your child by sending your child to school every day and on time. If you have any questions or concerns about your child's attendance, please let us know. We are here to support your family.

What you can do to support your child's attendance:

• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.

• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before

• Don’t let your child stay home unless she is truly sick. Keep in mind complaints of a stomachache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home.

• If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on how to make her feel comfortable and excited about learning.

• Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent.

• Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.

• Contact school staff or community partners to find resources around transportation, housing, employment, or health care.

We are full on into fall and the rainy season has begun! We are asking all families to send a ziploc bag with a change of clothes to leave at school for each of your students. The bag should be labeled with your student's first and last names and include a top, bottom, underwear, and socks. Thank you!

Please label all of your students things with both their first and last names so that lost items can be reunited with their owners. Permanent markers or Sharpies work great!

Things to label may include:

• jackets, raincoats, sweatshirts
• hats, scarves, gloves
• water bottles, lunchboxes, backpacks