Laurelhurst Community Update

How about this great news to make us all believe in the magic of the holidays?!

Last year, our incredible former PTA President Kelly Fischer and a small support team drove a campaign to raise funds for a new play structure to replace our decaying Clinton-era playground. THANKS to the support of this amazing community, we were able to raise the funds for a new main play structure. And thanks to a generous donation by one of our family's grandparents, we will also have a new Nature Play Area across from the 2nd grade bungalows. Against all odds, we were able to secure a cooperative agreement between our PTA and PPS, who is supporting the project's program management and contractor costs. We are so excited to announce that work on our new playground will begin NEXT WEEK!

The contractors will be installing the new play structure first and then moving on to the Nature Play Area. The timeline is as follows:

• Fencing will be placed around the Play Structure on 12/23 and demolition will begin, lasting about one week.
• The new equipment will be installed with the goal of being ready for use by the end of January (barring snow storms or other major delays).
• The schedule for the Nature Play Area will be similar, starting with fencing/demo by mid-February.

We will keep you updated as things progress. Please support us as we use our PRIDE values! We'll need to be Dynamic --the play structure will NOT be available for use during Winter Break, or upon our return to school after the break. We'll all need to help our students be Responsible around fencing and construction equipment, and minding any detours or closed off areas while the work is being done.

Thank you all for helping make this exciting upgrade to our schoolyard a reality.

Please join us in officially welcoming Ingrid as our new Nutrition Services Lead. After spending the last year as a rover, filling in as necessary at various schools within PPS, Ingrid landed at Laurelhurst and she says it feels like home. We are so happy to have her in our kitchen working alongside our NS Assistant Linden. They are a powerhouse duo!

A PNW native, Ingrid loves cooking and baking, and you can see that food is her love language by the way she interacts with our students during breakfast and lunch each day. When she’s not in the kitchen, Ingrid enjoys gardening, reading, knitting, puzzling, and spending time with her two grown sons, her partner, and her dogs.

Fun fact! Ingrid’s middle school had an entire ice cream bar option for students! 😮

Parkrose Student Health Center is open over the winter break. Insurance is not required, please call for an appointment.

Hello. Registration for OBOB teams closed on Friday, 12/6. Coaches should have received an email with the Team Roster for their grade. If you are a Coach and did not receive that email, please email me at mdlang@pps.net

Upcoming Dates:

Coaches and Volunteers Meeting: 1/15 at 5:00 pm in the Library

Elementary Battles: Wed. 2/19 and Thurs 2/20, beginning in the Library at 3:30

MS Battles: Thurs 2/27 and Fri 2/28 (if needed) beginning in the Library at 3:45

OBOB needs You!

We are looking for volunteers to be Moderators, Timekeepers, and Scorekeepers. Last year, we had a number of MS Coaches volunteer to be moderators for Elementary Battles and vice versa and it was a big help!

Also, if you are a student in grades 7 or 8 and would like to be a timekeeper, please email me as well.

If you would like to volunteer, please email me, Ms. Lang, and plan on attending the Coaches and Volunteers Meeting on Jan. 15 at 5:00 pm in the Library

Thank you and Happy Reading! Melody Lang, mdlang@pps.net

The holiday season is upon us, and many folks have reached out about honoring our teachers and staff with small gifts. Kinder through 5th grade families will hear from their classroom coordinators about plans for classroom teachers.

**Last Call! Please donate by Tuesday, 12/17*

For middle school teachers, this year we have some "grade parents" -- Kelly Fischer (6th), Bonnie Paisley (7th), and Rena Ferrick (8th)--who are helping coordinate gifts. If you would like to participate, they are creating gift bags with collected gifts, cards, and gift cards in the Front Office. You can drop off something special (a note, a chocolate bar, a pair of fuzzy socks) at school, or you can contribute to Powell's gift cards for teachers by Venmo'ing Kelly Fischer @Kelly-Fischer-3 (verification code 6405). Please label who the item is for and from if you want your name included.

For ALL families - Our support staff -- custodians, nutrition services, administrators, school health assistant and nurse, instructional coach, reading interventionist, educational assistants, counselors, and front office staff -- work behind the scenes every day to help our kids be successful in school. Their impact is not always center stage, but they are a big part of what makes this community so special. We will also have gift bags for each of those folks, as well as our incredible Specials (PE, Library, Art, Music) and SPED teachers and staff.

Participation in gift giving is purely optional! If you do want to give your teacher or another staff member a token of your appreciation, please keep in mind that due to rules related to public employment, the value of a gift from a family must be less than $50 per calendar year to any given individual.

Thank you! - Laurelhurst PTA and Classroom/Grade Coordinators

As we approach winter break, I want to take a moment to wish you a joyous holiday season. In my house, we celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas, so there’s lots of sharing of traditions. However you celebrate this season, I hope you are able to relax, connect, and celebrate with those you love.

With Gratitude,

Alyson

• 12/16 - 7/8 Field Trip - Imago Theatre
• 12/18 - Early Release Wednesday - School is 8:45am-12:45pm for ALL Students
• 12/23-1/3 - NO SCHOOL - Winter Break
• 1/4 - PTA TreeCycle Fundraiser
• 1/20 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL
• 1/21 - 7th Grade Field Trip - Oregon Jewish Museum
• 1/21, 6pm - PTA Meeting in Library
• 1/24 - End of 2nd Quarter
• 1/27 - Grading Day - NO SCHOOL
• 1/28 - Teacher Planning Day - NO SCHOOL

Email: abrant@pps.net
Website: https://www.pps.net/laurelhurst
Location: 840 Northeast 41st Avenue, Portland, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 916-6210

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