News from the Abernethy Office

Hello Abernethy Community!

It seems to be that time of year when our calendars begin to get full. As I look at Spring Break being next week and the fact that when we return it will be April already, I start to have a little panic that the end of the school year is quickly approaching on us. However, have no fear, we still have plenty of the school year left and we plan on enjoying all of it, all the way down to the very last day! With that being said, we do have a lot of information in this week's newsletter.

Here are just a few of the highlights!

• Spring Break - March 27th - 31st
• Abernethy Bike Bus starting April 5th
• Tour de Ladd - April 12th
• Parent Equity Meeting - April 26th
• Abernethy Open House - April 27th
• Abernethy Auction - April 29th
• 4th and 5th Career Day - May 11th
• Abernethy Carnival - May 19th

As our above activities are all fun and exciting, I am going to start with some information on a more immediate event that we will be having. This Wednesday at 1:00pm, we will be holding our yearly Lock Down drill. As we know that a Lock Down and a Lock Down drills can bring on anxiety to families and especially to students, I wanted to share the what and why behind it.

School Lockdowns

Lockdown actions within a school are initiated whenever there is an active threat against the safety of our school and those in it. This action includes the language, “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight”. When teachers hear this, they will close all windows and blinds as well as lock their doors. Students will silently sit in a corner of the classroom and wait for teacher instructions. Students and teachers will remain in this space until an official, building administrator, police officer or otherwise identified person, opens the door and informs the class that all is clear.

In the event of a real emergency, students will then be evacuated to a safe location where they will be reunited with families. However, during this drill, there will not be an evacuation and I will be opening the doors to let all classes know that the drill is complete. As I know that these drills cause anxiety in students and families, they do provide us with the opportunity to practice an action and go through the motions to better understand what to do during an actual emergency. We practice so that in an actual emergency our staff knows exactly what to do and we can ensure that we are doing everything to keep your students safe. I have asked teachers to share this drill and when it is going to happen with your students. I do not want this to be a surprise to them, or you.

I do wish that we lived in a world where we did not have to practice such drills, however, the safety of your students is my absolute first priority and practicing our response only helps me feel even more confident that we, as a staff, know what to do in the event of an emergency. I encourage you to talk with your students and hope that you will reach out to me if you have any questions.

We need your help giving our 4th and 5th graders an opportunity to explore and learn about different careers!

We would like to invite you to join us as a guest speaker or visitor on the morning of Thursday, May 11th (exact time TBD) to share about your career and career path.

We are looking for people representing a variety of careers, such as the following:

• Creative/arts

• Information-technology

• Trades (electrician, plumber etc)

• Emergency services (EMT, fire department)

• Medical professional

• Government/public administration

• Lawyer

• Customer service/hospitality

• Education

• Entertainment/sports

We will plan to have some folks speak, and others available for individual or small group questions and answers after the speakers are done. Let us know what you’d be interested in by filling out this brief survey!

Please reach out to Sylvie Bishop (slbishop@pps.net), the 4th and 5th grade counselor, if you have any questions, and thank you so much for your support with this activity!

Parents are invited to join conversations about how to support diversity, equity, and inclusion at Abernethy. This parent group meets monthly and would love your participation and input as we identify our goals and mission and how we can impact our community. The next meeting is on Wednesday April 26th at 5:30. You can join us virtually with this link: We hope you will join us!

Due to inclement weather in February, there will be 1 make up day added to the 2022-23 school year. Wednesday, June 14, 2023, will now be the last day of school for Pre-Kindergarten - 11th Grade. Because of senior graduation schedules, the last day for 12th graders, June 1, will be extended to a full-day.

Each year, there are three days on the District calendar designated for inclement weather. We are using one of those days this year to restore instructional hours lost to inclement weather and to ensure compliance with instructional time requirements of the state. Weather permitting, these will be the final changes to the 2022-23 calendar.

In considering these decisions, we are making every attempt to keep the needs of students at the forefront. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding.

With gratitude,

Dr. Cheryl A. Proctor (She/Her)
Deputy Superintendent of Instruction & School Communities
Executive Sponsor, Center for Black Student Excellence
Portland Public Schools

Do you bring your students to school in the morning, or pick up in the afternoon? Well, we are looking for volunteers to help with the set up and take down of our GAGA Ball Pit. Our students are amazing, yet the set up and take down still requires a little supervision, support and most of all muscle. Mom's, dad's, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends and family, we are calling any and all that would be able to help set up the GAGA ball pit in the AM and take it down in the PM of Tuesday's and Thursday's.

If you are able to help out, please contact Jenny Morgan - jmorgan@pps.net

We definitely appreciate all your help and support in advance!

March 22 - Abernethy Site Council @4:00pm - Virtual - Zoom Meeting Link

March 23rd - 1st Day of Ramadan

March 27 - March 31st - Spring Break - No School

April 6th - Passover

April 7th - Good Friday and End of Quarter

April 10th - No School for Students - Teacher Report Card Day

April 26th - Parent Equity Group Meeting - 5:30pm

April 27th - Abernethy Open House - 6:00 - 7:30pm

April 29th - Abernethy Auction

Get ‘em while you can! Early bird pricing ends April 1st! Buy your tickets at bit.ly/abernethy-auction-tickets.

We’re Seeking Donations

The auction committee is seeking donations of all kinds.

• Gift cards to local businesses

• Tickets to local sporting events

• Passes for classes or summer camps

• Wine bottles at or over $25 for the Wine Wall

• Buy-In Parties (What are they? These parties are a fun way to keep the party going after the night of the auction is over, and a great way to meet new people in the community. Do you have a great Whiskey Library in your cellar that you want to share with others? Want to teach a group of 3rd graders how to play Pickle Ball? Want to host a Wine and Paint night at a local business? Or just really want to play DnD and make some new friends? We can make it happen! Parties can be adult-only, just for the kiddos, or fun for the whole family; hosts decide. If you have any questions or would like to organize a buy-in party for this year’s auction, contact katrina.cloyd@yahoo.com and we can work out all the details.)

• Anything else you can think of!

Email auction@supportabernethy.org to arrange donations.

The annual Abernethy bikeathon is pedaling to a street near you on April 12, and we need you to help make it happen! We are especially seeking volunteers during the day to help keep our young cyclists and scooterers safe and hydrated.

Please email tourdeladd@supportabernethy.org if you are able to help before or during the event. More information to come, including pledge forms, routes, and all the details of another memorable day of cruising ‘round the neighborhood!

More information will come in our Spring Break edition of the Abernethy Newsletter!

A Bike Bus carries a group of children to school in the same way a regular school bus does, except everyone is on bikes. The “bus driver”—an adult on a bike—guides a slowly moving group ride along a predefined route. Kids and their parents join the group on their own bikes when the pack rolls by.

The route runs on the Lincoln-Harrison Greenway (map: http://bit.ly/3X86sXJ) and you can join us at any point.

8:15am Gather next to Joe's Bikes

8:20am Depart Joe's Bikes and head West.

8:25am Depart St. David of Whales Church, heading West

8:30am Pass East Rose Garden
2 laps around Ladd's circle to celebrate and cheer

8:35 Cruise into school at the gazebo to give kids time to lock bikes and line up.

Safety Notes

• Helmets are required!

• If your child does not already ride to school on their own, please plan on biking with us for the first rides to make sure they can bike safely in a group.

• Crossings where we'll stop the group to gather, post up adults, and make sure cars wait while we cross en masse: 34th, 30th, 26th and 20th (note: none of these are stop lights, they're stop signs)

• Please ride behind the Bike Bus Driver (I'll make sure you know who I am during the ride)

We need adult volunteers to help keep the intersections safe. Please contact Aaron to sign up, or if you have any questions.

Aaron Stoertz

(parent of Winslow in 2nd grade)

astoertz@gmail.com 650-390-3405

The Carnival Committee is looking for a few key volunteers to help make NEXT YEAR'S carnival happen. Our team is excited to put on this year's carnival but we have some open spots on the team for next year. The most successful way to pass the baton to a new team member is for that person to shadow this year, learning all there is to making this fabulous event happen!

Here you can find role descriptions of the open slots. Don't be intimidated—there is a team of people who make this event happen! Help us secure the future success of the Carnival by joining the committee. Our meetings start in April, so let us know if you want to be a part! If you’re interested, or have any questions, reach out to Jessica Mackie, jemackie@gmail.com

The PTA is busy working on next year's budget. The first draft budget will be presented at the April community meeting.

Recognizing that our old gym mats were getting a bit...well...old, our very special PE instructor, Jen Hartle, submitted a Mini-Grant request and received funding for some brand-new mats. Ms. Hartle and our kids are already finding all kinds of good uses for these mats in building new skills, working up a sweat, and having some fun.

The Abernethy PTA would like to congratulate Ms. Hartle and thank her sincerely for recognizing that a change needed to be made, and for taking the initiative to ensure that our kids have up to date and safe equipment to play with. Thanks also to you, the parents, and members of the PTA, who make the funding of these kinds of purchases possible.

Art4Life is excited to open registration for our 2023 Summer Camp at Abernethy School (2421 SE Orange Ave). Register your child today for any or all of our SEVEN weeks of summertime bliss in Southeast Portland! For more information and registration materials go to Art4Life.net.