Abernethy News

Is anyone loving the weather yesterday and today as much as I am??? I think I am going to soak up the sun for as long as I can!

I want to give an extremely huge THANK YOU to all the Abernethy Community members that gave up their Sunday to help make our grounds look beautiful! I had so much fun watching all the kids paint and the adults yell "Watch out... don't step in the wet paint". It was absolutely heartwarming to see all the smiles and hear all the laughs. Thank you all for allowing me to be part of your Abernethy community and for your dedication to our school and our students!

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at our Back to School - Curriculum Night on Thursday! Don't let the teachers know that I told you, but they always get nervous right before and spend so much time making everything look so perfect! I keep telling them that everything already is perfect because we already have amazing teachers! On Thursday you will be able to see and hear from all of them as they lay out the school year for you. They have been very busy planning all field trips and all curriculum. We are in for an amazing year. Of course I say that every year, but it still holds true!

This year, on top of all that the teachers are planning, we also get to celebrate Abernethy turning 100! Stay tuned to some very exciting activities and events that we have planned to celebrate!

Friday - September 27th at 9:30am we will be having our yearly Lock Down Drill.

As much as this is the absolute hardest drill to have to explain, as we NEVER want to actually have to initiate it, I do feel it is important to practice it.

Lockdown actions are initiated whenever there is an active threat against the safety of our school. This action includes “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight” and works to create a time barrier until our first responders can arrive at the scene. Lockdown emergency actions save lives, and conducting such drills helps to better prepare our staff and students if a threatening situation were ever to occur at our school.

I understand that these types of active threat drills can cause some anxiety for students and staff. Please know that our staff have been working to connect with students in advance of the drill in an age appropriate way to help ease any anxiety and better support students who may be negatively impacted.

This week, Kindergarten through 3rd Grade students learned about Sammy the Sasquatch, Crittertopia, and the many ways Sammy practices safety. Crittertopia is kept safe by the Critter Elder’s magic. While it’s very unlikely a curious human will accidentally wander into Crittertopia, Sammy & Friends practice keeping Crittertopia safe by doing a Lockdown, “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight.” For more information on Sammy & Friends and resources to help empower your kids at home, please see that attached document.

Jenny Morgan, our school counselor, l read the illustrated children’s book, “Sammy the Sasquatch: Welcome to Crittertopia”. Classroom Coaching for Lockdown will not focus on any specific threat. Students will be able to ask questions which will be answered in trauma-informed and developmentally appropriate ways. Responses will always bring the focus back to:

• Kids, and adults, practice safety in many different ways every day.

• Doing a Lockdown does not mean school is unsafe. It means one of the caring adults did a great job of noticing.

• School safety partners, like Campus Safety Associates (CSAs) and local first responders, are very good at their jobs and will respond quickly if students need help.

As a parent/caregiver, we wanted to share some additional resources that could help in connecting with your child(ren) in advance of this drill:

• 15 Ways to Help Your Child Through Crisis: Parent resource from KidsPeace

• Helping Children Cope: Offered by ready.gov, this resource provides advice for helping children cope through disasters and emergencies.

• Talking with children about terrorist attacks and school and community shootings in the news: from the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement

• Talking with children about violence: tips for parents and teachers: from the National Association of School Psychologists

• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network: this website offers guidance for trauma-informed care for children following a disaster or traumatic event and offers many resources including a Psychological First Aid training.

Please always reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.

Picture day was a big success! I love the backdrop of the green bushes and how our photographer is able to capture that perfect image of your student.

It will take 2 - 3 weeks for the pictures to be uploaded onto her site and then she will send us the link and information for you all to access your students photos and see how they turned out. If for any reason you do not thing that the phoos are what you were hoping for, or you missed picture day, retakes will be October 17th.

This past weekend I had so much fun painting with some of our Abernethy Community!

Make sure you click on the HIGHLIGHTS HERE link to see an amazing photo video of all those who helped make this day happen!

Mrs. Dunn

A huge thanks to the 50+ kids and adults who came out on Sunday to give Abernethy’s blacktop a facelift! We refreshed the lines on all of the 2-touch, 4-square, hopscotch, baseball diamond and basketball courts. We removed 4 bins worth of weeds from the blacktop so that that surface would be smoother. We painted a ⅛ mile running track for the Eagle Track Club, and we repainted the US map to bring it back to vibrant life. We hope this work makes playing outside at Abernethy that much easier, faster and more enjoyable for our students and the community!

See highlights here. Thank you Abernethy volunteers, and thanks to Dick’s Color Center for heavily discounting the paint for us!

Students will be released at 11:50am.

Some things to note:

• School will have the same start time
• First Bell - 7:52am
• Late Bell 8:00am
• All students will have a 20 - 25 minute lunch period
• School lunch will still be served
• All students need to have lunch period as well as at least 15 minutes from finishing lunch to being dismissed to go home
• Lunches will be:
• Kinder and 1st Grade - 10:10 - 10:35
• 2nd and 3rd - 10:40 - 11:05
• 4th and 5th - 11:10 - 11:35
• Buses will leave Abernethy at 11:56 and begin their rout as usual.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at our Back to School Curriculum Night!

The schedule will be as follows:

• 5:00pm - Abernethy TAG presentation - In the Auditorium
• 5:30pm - Welcome - (In the cafeteria)
• Teacher Introduction
• Presentation by Mrs. Dunn
• PTA Introduction & year Overview
• 1st Session - 6:00pm
• Bell - 6:25pm
• 2nd Session - 6:30pm
• 7:00 - End Time

Childcare is not provided, however, if childcare is a concern, you are absolutely welcome to bring your student and they are welcome to stay with you.

Hello Families!

This school year Abernethy teamed up with RIF, Reading Is Fundamental, encouraging family literacy and reading for fun! As a result, students in grades k thru 3 will receive a purple book bag including the following 3 books: Ruby's School Walk, Benita and the Night Creatures, and Whatever Comes Tomorrow Pase lo que pase manana; along with a bookmark, 3 bookplates for you to attach to the inside cover of each book with your child's name. A family fun story page is included in which you add your own words to create a silly story of courage. Lastly, a postcard has been added, if your child would like to write a thank you message or draw a picture of themselves or your family enjoying this gift. Students may return these postcards to the library. I will be distributing these book bags to the k-3 students when they come to the library with their classes on September 19 and 20. Enjoy this gift of reading!

Additional Abernethy Library Information

Book Check Out Limit

Kindergarten-1

First Grade-1

Second Grade-2

Third Grade-2

Fourth Grade-3

Fifth Grade-3

This is the limit for the number of books students may have checked out each week. Students are to stay within this limit as they are responsible for the books while they are in their possession. If a book gets damaged or lost please reach out to me or have your child talk with me regarding this manner. I handle these circumstances on a case by case manner.

Helping students remember to return books they are finished with on their library day, is easy when the adults know what day is library day!

Thursdays

Hartmann

Eichman

Springgate

Teacher Carla

Hurner

Lannigan

Fridays

Hutchison

Day

Shah

Teacher Debi

Siri

Beilman

Abernethy students will strap on their helmets and hop on their bikes and scooters to spread joy and fun as they take laps through a car-free street course near school. There will be six waves of riders, with each wave lasting 10-20 minutes, depending on grade level.

Each student will have a fundraising page through the 99 Pledges donation site, and donations will help pay for books for teachers, school supplies, and our Reading Results program. Last year, we raised $27, 858 to support Abernethy!

Stay tuned for more information on donation pages, volunteer sign-ups, and a schedule listing when each grade will ride!

This year, Oregon lawmakers are focusing on key issues critical to our children’s future: universal school meals and fair school funding. Now is the time to speak up and make a difference! Your voice, together with your child’s, can make a powerful impact.

The Abernethy PTA Advocacy Committee is hosting an “Action Table” on Fridays in the gazebo, where you can get involved in issues important to our community. Last Friday, one of our 1st graders, Rose Young of Ms. Hurner’s class, participated by writing a postcard to Senator Frederick, asking him to support free school meals and fair teacher pay. Our advocacy chair hand-delivered the postcard to the Senator today, and after reading it, he responded, “Tell Rose thank you, and I also believe in school meals for all kids and fair teacher pay!” Now we’ll see how he votes this session! Thank you Rose, you made a difference.

Visit our Action Table on Fridays at pick-up, or sign up using the links below to get involved!

Here’s how you can take action:

• Lobby Day: This is your chance to meet with lawmakers face-to-face. With universal school meals and fair funding on the agenda, sharing your story can make a big difference. Your presence shows lawmakers how important these issues are. Sign up here for Lobby Day updates.

• Postcard Campaign: If you can’t join us in Salem, writing a postcard is another powerful way to advocate. Your postcards will help us make our voices heard on these crucial topics. Parents and kids can work together to send a strong message! Request a postcard kit!

Abernethy’s PTA invites you to apply for a mini grant to help make a difference for our school community. If you have an idea that could improve Abernethy and all that is standing in your way is some funding, please let us know! The application deadline is Friday, November 1. Learn more about the process and apply here!.

Donate: Use your corporate match if you have one! https://www.konstella.com/app/school/62226dc1091a1ea101b6924d/donations/6222b33c091a714102b5f221

Bottle Drop

One of the easiest ways to support Abernethy's Physical Education program (and the environment) is by recycling redeemable cans and bottles through the BottleDrop program. Pick up a Bottle Drop bag in the school office, and learn more here: https://www.supportabernethy.org/fundraising/bottledrop

Help with Fundraising Events: We have several fundraisers throughout the year.

Our first fundraiser is Tour de Ladd on October 9.

September marks National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated from September 15 to October 15. It honors all Latino and Hispanic Americans and their contributions to American culture. The anniversaries of many Latin American countries are held on or around September 15 hence why the start of the month starts mid-month. Take time to acknowledge how these communities impact society and foster understanding of their unique heritages.

It also is National Recovery Month which hopes to educate all Americans on the treatment services for those struggling with substance use disorders.

September 4 – Richard Wright’s Birthday

The popular Black American writer wrote some of the most powerful 20th-century novels which exposed the realities of racism in the Deep South where he was born in 1908.

September 11 – Patriot Day

On the morning of September 11, 2001, the worst terrorist attack in American history occurred when four commercial airliners were hijacked by al-Qaeda members. Two crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon, and another into a field in Pennsylvania.

September 20 – HeForShe

This solidarity movement was first created by the UN to help promote gender equality worldwide.

September 21 – International Day of Peace

This UN day encourages all nations to observe a ceasefire. Each year the UN bell is rung in New York City to inaugurate this nonviolence day.

IInternational Day of Sign Languages – September 23

The International Day of Sign Languages celebrates sign languages as a vital part of linguistic and cultural diversity. This day highlights the importance of sign language in the full realization of the human rights of people who are deaf. It promotes the preservation of sign language and advocates for the rights of deaf people worldwide to have access to education and information in their native sign languages.

Celebrate Bisexuality Day – September 23

Bisexuality Visibility Day is committed to celebrating the bisexual community and its history and achievements. Raise awareness about bisexuality and speak up about misconceptions about the community in the workplace and beyond.

Definition: We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life.

K-2 Definition: We are curious. We ask questions. We love to learn.

Questions you can ask your students:

• What does it mean to be an inquirer?

• Do you have any good inquiry skills you can use?

• How do you know when you were being an inquirer?

• How does being an inquirer help you throughout school?