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North Star News
October 2023 - We Reach! We Rise! We Shine!
Mark Your Calendar
10/10 Fall Picture Day
10/11 PTC Meeting 4-5 p.m. in room 100
10/12 C&I Day - No School
10/13 Statewide Inservice - No School
10/16-10/30 PTC Cherrydale Fall Fundraiser
10/18 Family Bingo Night 6-7:30 p.m.
Principal's Message
Happy October North Gresham Families!
We have many exciting things happening this month. Students and staff are continuing to learn about and celebrate Hispanic Heritage month through art, writing, research, and more. Our Hispanic Heritage Family Night was a huge success, and I would like to thank our amazing SUN team, staff, PTC, and families for making this event enjoyable for all.
This month, we have Family Bingo Night on October 18th from 6-7:30 p.m. Please join us for this fun family evening! Our PTC Fall Cherrydale Fundraiser will begin on October 11th. Packets will be sent home soon. Funds raised go to support our students and classrooms, field trips, family nights, and more!
Dismissal is going fairly smooth, and we always appreciate your cooperation and patience. With that being said, please remember to follow the direction of staff and our student leaders. They are there to help keep pedestrians safe and direct the flow of traffic. We've noticed some drivers on their phones not paying attention while pulling forward, as well as some drivers stopping on and blocking the crosswalks. These are both major safety issues and all drivers need to be mindful of the safety of others, especially our students. Families walking to the school need to also follow all directions of staff and our posted signs, and use the designated crosswalks rather than walking in front of the buses.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership with the education of your children - our future leaders!
Sincerely,
Shawnda Sewell
Principal
Picture Day on October 10th
IMPORTANT: If not ordering online, please send your student's picture day order envelope to the school on picture day with exact cash (we cannot make change at the school and don't process the orders), or with a check made payable to: Dorian Studio. We cannot accept order envelopes after picture day, but you can order online up to 4 days after.
Please note that all students will get their picture taken for school purposes, regardless of whether you order or not. Ordering photos is optional. Retake day is November 28th.
From Our PTC
Join us for our second PTC meeting of the year on Wednesday, October 11th from 4:00-5:00 p.m.! Our meetings are in-person at North Gresham in room 100. Meetings will usually be held on the 2nd Wednesday of every month from 4:00-5:00 p.m. PTC meeting information will be shared each month via the school newsletter, website, ParentSquare, and Facebook page to confirm the date, time, and location.
This month will be our big fundraiser! Money earned during the fundraiser helps to buy supplies for classrooms, pay for field trips, and much more. The fundraiser will run from October 16th through October 30th (expected delivery date of December 12th). We will also be hosting a Family Bingo Night with the SUN program on October 18th, from 6pm-7:30pm. PTC will have t-shirts and concessions available for sale during the event. Be on the lookout for information coming about Mt Hood Movie Theater ticket sales! This is a great way to see family movies at a discount.
Remember, to scan your grocery receipts using the Box Top App (After you scan the receipt, click on the STAR “Credit”, and put in your child’s teacher’s last name to give Credit to that teacher. Yes! We will have competitions.) You can also give back with Fred Meyer’s Community Rewards (North Gresham Parent Teacher Club). All funds go back to the school and support our students!
Sign-Up to Volunteer!
The application process can take up to two weeks, so please apply today if you think you'd like to volunteer at anytime during the school year. Once approved, your application is good for two years. If you signed up last year, then you do not need to reapply this year. If you're unsure of your volunteer status, feel free to contact me on ParentSquare (Nina Davis) or email me at davis239@gresham.k12.or.us.
Make sure to reach out to your child's teacher if you'd like to volunteer in class or go on field trips. The best way to reach them is through ParentSquare, or you can email them. You can also contact our PTC to let them know you'd like to volunteer for PTC fundraisers and family events. They can be reached by email at northgreshamptc@gmail.com.
We also have a new way to sign-in and record volunteer hours using HelpCounter. When you arrive at the school, please use the computer in the lobby to sign-in. You will select your name from the list, follow the prompts, and then the label maker will print out a name badge. Please wear this visibly, so that all know you signed in. When you leave, please sign-out and record your hours.
What Is Going On in 5th Grade?
5th grade has started the Artist residency and are having a great time learning how to Papier mâché masks! They have also been learning about Hispanic Heritage month and those who've influenced our history and our future by researching about their lives and how they changed the way we live ours. In math, they're learning about volume.
This month they will also begin learning all about the 63 National Parks in the U.S. They've already learned about Teddy Roosevelt and his love of nature and how important it was to him to save places for future generations to enjoy. Finally, they will be studying ecosystems as we prepare for our field trip to Hoyt Arboretum this month!
Click here to see the Facebook post with more photos!
PBIS with Mrs. Reed
We have our student leadership up and running again this year! To be a North Gresham Student Leader students must have positive participation in class and specials, three weeks of library books turned in on time, positive hallway behaviors, good attendance (90% or above), up-to-date on assignments, no major referrals, and be consistently using friendly works and actions to adults and peers. Students are asked to write a short essay explaining what characteristics they possess that exemplify their ability to be a leader at North Gresham.
Our leaders help with many things such as pulling STARBucks names on Fridays, helping in a younger buddy class, making announcement videos, helping in assemblies, planning spirit weeks, crosswalk duty and handing out notes at the end of the day. They are such big helpers and we greatly appreciate them. Student leadership is open to 4th and 5th graders, and will open up to 3rd graders this winter. Families, please encourage your 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students to reach out and apply to be a student leader.
For the month of October our school will be focusing on the character trait of Positive Attitude. In our assembly we talk about how easy it can be to look at the negative things that happen. We all have negative things that happen to us, however we want kids to choose to look for the good. We challenged students to look for “what is good today” or what are the positive things that happened today. Even if you have to look really hard there is something good happening in your life. Looking for the positives everyday will change your mindset and change your attitude for the better.
Multilingual Learners at North
We have a beautifully diverse school, including many languages! Our ELD (English Language Development) team - Sania Chavarria, and Rebecca Espiritu - work with our students who are Emerging Multilingual Learners (EML). The languages they represent continue to grow each year. This year, our students represent over 30 languages!
Here are the languages represented in our North Gresham community:
Akan, Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian, Carolinian, Catalan, Chamorro, Chuukese, Chinuk Wawa, Croatian, English, Farsi, Filipino, French, Hmong, Khmer AKA Cambodian, Kikuyu, Kinyarwanda, Kolokwa, Lao, Mien, Oromo, Pashto AKA Pushto, Purepecha, Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Thai, Tibetan, Tongan, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
We are proud to welcome and support students of all backgrounds and languages, and are thankful for the hard work of these two amazing teachers!
From the Desk of Mrs. Huelsman
This year all classes at North will have the wonderful opportunity to work with Lulu Moonwood Murakami, our artist in residence, as part of our Right Brain Initiative (RBI). Under Lulu’s guidance, our students will be learning about and creating paper maché masks that represent our diverse, multicultural student population. One of Lulu’s goals is to engage students in learning by allowing them to explore the art materials and use them to express themselves. Please, check in with your child to see when their class will have this unique opportunity and encourage them to talk about their experiences!
Counselor's Corner
As always, if you're in need of resources or family support, please reach out to me.
Solen Chu
Introduction from Mr. Stein
Hello! My name is Mr. Stein and it is my pleasure to introduce myself to you all. I am excited to be joining the counseling team this year at North Gresham Elementary School to work alongside Ms. Chu. Our primary responsibility is to promote the social, emotional, and academic well being of all students at North. We would like you and your children to know that they have allies here at school, adults who will be on their side. We help support students by teaching lessons in class, leading small groups, talking with individual students, and by collaborating with all the caring adults in their lives, such as yourselves. We can also help families with any needs that may arise. If we can support your child in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Nathan Stein
SUN News
Please read more about our program and learn about our SUN teachers by clicking here.
We are so excited for this new school year, and we are looking forward to offer a
great and exiting SUN program!
Reach out to the SUN Program at:
Phone - 503-560-2855
Email - thanyar@mfs.email
ParentSquare
For more information and helpful tips, click here.
When Should I Keep My Student Home?
If your student has any of the symptoms below, please keep them home:
- New Cough - May return after symptoms improve for 24 hours (no cough or well-controlled cough)
- Difficulty Breathing - May return after symptoms improve for 24 hours (breathing comfortably)
- Sore Throat - May return when symptoms improve for 24 hours
- Vomiting or Diarrhea - May return when symptom-free for 48 hours
- Fever of 100.4 or greater - May return when fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication
- Rash - May return when the rash is gone or with orders from a doctor or school nurse
- General Illness - If your student is feeling unwell in general and you feel it will interfere with their learning, please keep them home until they're feeling better
- Positive Covid-19 Test Result - May return when fever free for 24 hours without the use of medication and other symptoms have improved; if vomiting or diarrhea are present, please follow the guidance above; masking is encouraged for 10 days
- Family Member in the Household Tests Positive for Covid-19 - If your student doesn't have any symptoms, they may attend school; if they have symptoms, even if they test negative, please follow the guidance above for the symptoms they display
If your student tests positive for any other contagious disease such as measles, mumps, etc., do not send your student to school. Please call the office for further directions and a return-to-school date.
Please report any student injuries, such as a broken limb, recent surgery, etc., and provide the school with a doctor's note stating that the student is clear to be at school and that it outlines any limitations such as not participating in P.E., recess, etc.
All medications must be checked in at the office by a parent or legal guardian. Medications are kept locked in our health room, and are not to be sent to school with students and/or kept in the classroom. This includes over-the-counter medications such as cough drops and Tylenol.
If your student has an underlying health condition, such as diabetes, seizure disorder, asthma, severe allergy, etc., please call the school. We want to make sure we are able to support and treat your student's health in accordance with their doctor's orders.
Reminders from the Office
Contacting the Office
You can reach the office staff by calling our school at 503-661-6415, Monday-Friday 8:15 a.m. (9:15 a.m. on Wednesdays) to 4:00 p.m. You can also email our office team at any time. Nina Davis at davis239@gresham.k12.or.us, and Yuli Nolasco at nolasco8@gresham.k12.or.usAbsences
Please call in your student's absence before 8:35 a.m. (9:35 a.m. on Wednesdays). Leave a message by selecting option 1 if you call outside of school hours. Please let us know your student's first and last name, teacher/grade, and the reason for the absence. Students not present by 8:35 a.m. (9:35 a.m. on Wednesdays) will be marked absent. Students that arrive late will receive a tardy slip, and their absence will be adjusted in the system to a tardy. Automated attendance calls go out and you may receive a call if your student arrives after the calls are made.
Changes of Transportation
If your student will go home differently than normal, please contact the office to make the change. Dismissal is a very busy time, so we appreciate you calling no later than 2:00 p.m. to make any changes.
Early Pick-Up
If you need to pick your student up early from school, please do so before 2:45 p.m. Dismissal is very busy, so if you arrive after 2:45 p.m. you will be asked to wait outside in the pick-up line until dismissal time to get your student.
ParentVue
Register for ParentVue to view your student’s attendance, grades, and make changes to your contact information. If you need assistance with setting up ParentVue, please call the school at 503-661-6415. You can also email our secretaries at davis239@gresham.k12.or.us or nolasco8@gresham.k12.or.us. Visit the ParentVue web page to login or sign up: https://www.gresham.k12.or.us/domain/2446.North Gresham Elementary School
Website: www.gresham.k12.or.us/nges
Location: 1001 Southeast 217th Avenue, Gresham, OR, USA
Phone: 503-661-6415
Facebook: facebook.com/NorthGreshamElementary
Twitter: @NorthGresham_ES