SES Messenger

Dear Sunnyside Families,

Thank you for another great (albeit short) week! It started off with our kindergarten joining us for their first full day all together and we capped it off with a popsicle party put on by our amazing PTSA. Yesterday our entire middle school was supposed to go to the fountains at the Moda Center but found out that they had been turned off and so they altered plans last minute and headed to Laurelhurst park to play in the park and start off their field study journey for the year.

Our 3rd graders participated in a "book tasting" where they "tasted" books and talked about what they like in a book. We had our bus STOPPS training this morning where we were sent buses and bus drivers from the district to teach our students all about bus safety. Thanks teachers, students and transportation for being so quick and positive about our bus safety. We also had our first fire drill and we had our building cleared in four minutes flat! Great job Sunnyside.

As we get into the swing of the school year, we really NEED parent chaperones for field study. Please sign up to help if you can as we cannot do it without all of you!

I hope you all enjoy the sunshine and have a wonderful weekend.

Best,

Eryn & Melodie

Arrival/Dismissal Procedures: (UPDATED)

Sunnyside students all wait outside for their teachers. Please see this map for locations. Students will also be released at the same locations.

Please remember that before and after school there is no supervision. Students are expected to be under supervision by parents/guardians after school. Breakfast is served beginning at 8:30. School starts at 8:45. Attendance will be taken at 9:00 AM. If you arrive after the bell at 8:45, please enter through the front door on Salmon and not the ADA door on 35th.

Attendance:

If your student is absent please fill out our attendance form HERE or call the attendance line at 503-916-6226.

Student Guidelines and Expectations:

At Sunnyside we value restorative justice and will utilize restorative practices to resolve student conflict as much as possible. We are also working with staff and our climate team to have clear and positive expectations for our school. For our climate handbook with our discipline matrix, please visit here. For our school expectations, please see this.

Parent and guardians, please note that we have a phones off and away policy. Please do not communicate with your student via their cell phone while they are at school. All communication needs to go through the front office.

• View the full SES calendar here.

• Wed, Sept 13. 8:45am - 10:00 am - PTSA meeting. Room 102

• Tues, Sept 19 & Wed, Sept 20 - School Picture Days. More details to come.

• Tues, Sept 19, 6:00pm - 8:00pm - Back to School Night

• Fri, Sept 29 - Walk/Run/Move Fundraiser. Details to come.

Want to get to know other families in your class and support your child’s teacher? Most classes still need at least one CFR, so if you’re at all game, please get in touch! You and your co-CFR will share classroom goings-on and needs via Konstella and connect with your teacher to make sure they have enough family support for class activities. It’s an easy way to get to know both your kiddo’s teacher and classroom community better. (And if you’re new to SES or this role, I can teach you all you need to know!) Please contact Emily Lillywhite, CFR Coordinator (via Konstella or emilylillywhite@gmail.com) to sign up or ask questions. Thank you!

FIRST PTSA MEETING - SEPT 13 8:45-9:45 am!

The PTSA meets monthly on Wednesday mornings (coffee provided by Oblique Coffee Roasters - bring your own mug!) Our first meeting of the year will be September 13th right after morning drop off in Room 102 at 8:45 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. We hope to see you there. You can also join virtually on GoogleMeet: bit.ly/SESPTSA-Meeting-Link

Meeting Agenda HERE
Review Past Meeting Minutes & Treasurer’s Reports HERE

P.S. THANK YOU for an amazing turn out for Popsicles on the Playground today! We loved meeting so many of you. If you couldn’t make it, but want to learn more about how to get involved this year, reach out to us: stephbarnhart1@gmail.com and tanky34@gmail.com.

BACK TO SCHOOL FUNDRAISING ASK
If you haven’t yet made your contribution to our ongoing campaign, please consider! The Ask helps fund a large portion of our annual financial need for the garden program, art & music, and Go Fund (equitable field studies for all). bit.ly/SES-BACKTOSCHOOLASK-23

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM REGISTRATIONS ARE LIVE!

Registration for fall after school activities at Sunnyside Environmental School is now open. Don’t miss out! There’s Lego Robotics, Yoga Playgrounds, Elementary Spanish, Electronic Music Club, Chess Wizards, The Art of Magic, Singing Workshop, and more, with something for grades K through 6! Sign up and learn more: www.sesptsa.org/after-school-activities.

WALK RUN MOVE: Friday, September 29!

SES Foundation and NW Dance Project present SES’s Walk Run Move 2023!

It’s BACK! Let’s move!! After taking a year off, it’s time we sprint, shuffle, shimmy, stretch and sweat our way around this school to raise some serious funds. We will walk, run, or dance to earn “move points” in this peer-to-peer fundraiser. And: adults can participate, too! More details coming soon.

• SCHEDULE - Fundraising Begins - Thursday, September 21, Walk Run Move Event - Friday, September 29 (K-2 at 9:00 a.m., 3-5 at 9:45 a.m., 6-8 at 10:30 a.m.), Fundraising Ends - Thursday, October 5

• VOLUNTEER SIGN UP OPEN - this one takes a LOT of adult power to make it happen. It’s a super fun morning on campus - please help however you can! Claim a job HERE.

• QUESTIONS? Do you know a company that wants to sponsor our event? Or donate post-race snacks to the kids? Contact Sara Nielsen (sara@skywolfmamawellness.com) or Steph Barnhart (stephbarnhart1@gmail.com)

BIKE BUS

Walk and Roll Wednesdays!

Join your classmates and walk, run, scooter, or bike to school every Wednesday! Studies show that active transportation to school can keep kids and families fit, reduce traffic and greenhouse gas emissions, and even help kids learn.

All are welcome to join by walking or rolling on your own, with your friends and neighbors, or by joining a Bike Bus.

Bike Buses will continue Wednesday mornings from these meeting spots:

SE 26th and Pine

SE 23rd and Salmon

SE 41st & Lincoln, continuing to 41st & Taylor (meet at either spot)

Meet at 8:20, roll out at 8:25, or join in anywhere along the way. Kids should have a safe working bike and a helmet. Each route will be led by an experienced parent. Kids can join on their own, or parents can join too. There is space to lock up bikes at school- BYO lock.

Meet up at the blacktop/playground area of the school for high fives, occasional prizes, and a place to park your wheels.

If you'd like to get involved or get updates on Bike Bus/ Walk and Roll Wednesdays, please email 2nd grade parent Alida Cantor alidacantor@gmail.com.

Sign into Konstella - New, One-Stop-Shop for Parent Info!

Join the convo on Konstella! It's our new, private and secure digital hub for classroom & school parent directory, calendar, volunteer sign ups, event info, interest group chats, and more! Many of our neighboring schools have used this with great success, including Abernathy, Glencoe, and others. Your Class Family Reps will be in touch with more information soon - stay tuned! Register HERE: BIT.LY/SES-KONSTELLA

Steph & Heather

Co-Presidents PTSA

Do you have extra legos to spare? We are hoping for a donation of legos for our sensory space. Please reach out to our school secretary, Jenny Thomas to arrange.

Save room in your kiddos schedule for the SES Original Fall Musical with Mo Phillips (for 1st-5th graders)

This fall, the PTSA, in coordination with Mo Phillips (yes, THE Mo Phillips), are bringing back the elementary school musical!

Join Mo & company for a brand new musical about Intergalactic Extravaganzas and Space Things (actual content yet to be determined ). Mo will lead students (2nd-5th) in script and song writing activities to create a fully original, collaboratively developed musical. Then 1st-5th graders will be cast and practice together culminating in 3 performances the first week of December. SES Middle schoolers will run tech, help with design, set and costume creation, and even do some scene direction.

Practice days will be Mondays and Thursdays from 3pm-5pm, October 2nd - December 2nd.with a tech week Nov 27th - Dec 1st . Costs will be on a sliding scale from $100-$250. If your student wants to participate, but cost is a barrier, scholarships of up to 100% will be available.

If your kid is interested and you want to stay up to date on when registration opens (September 20) up please add your info HERE and save the dates to join us!

This process is magic, creatively inspirational and SO MUCH FUN. Join us!

Our middle school classes travel every Thursday. These trips cannot happen without the support of chaperones. Please sign up to help!

• Aaron Long's core class [Year of the Forest]
• Becca Hawk's core class [Year of the Forest]
• Carrie McCoy's core class [Year of the Ocean]
• Mary Gage Davis's core class [Year of the River]
• Michael Jansa's core class [Year of the Mountain]
• Robin Godoy's core class [Year of the Mountin]
• Sarah Conley's core class [Year of the River]

In addition to the above, we maintain an emergency chaperone list for middle school teachers. As an emergency chaperone volunteer, you’ll get to know other students, adults and teachers, all while saving the day for a Middle School teacher—you don’t even need to have a middle school student to volunteer. If you’re willing to join the ranks of chaperone superheroes, please complete this form.

With the new school year around the corner, it's a great time to enroll in or renew your family’s health coverage.

Enrolling in Health Insurance

• PPS families who need help in getting health insurance can get free help in many languages to apply for Oregon Health Plan (OHP) or other coverage.

• You may now qualify for OHP, even if you didn’t previously. As of July 1, 2023, Healthier Oregon allows people of any age or immigration status who meet income and other criteria to qualify for full OHP benefits.

Renewing Oregon Health Plan (OHP) Coverage

• Keep your address up-to-date.

• Keep checking the mail for your renewal letters.

• Get free help in many languages.

Portland Public Schools invites you to apply to join the Community Budget Review Committee (CBRC). Each year, the CBRC reviews and makes recommendations on how the district spends its dollars towards student achievement. The application is now open and the due date for the application is September 22, 2023.

Read the full announcement here.

• PPS: Pre-Kindergarten [NEW]
  

• Multnomah County Free Community Vaccination Clinic: English | Spanish [NEW]
  

• Kaiser Permanente CASCADIA COVID-19 screening study: English | Spanish | Russian | Somali | Chinese | Vietnamese [NEW]

• Sign up to chaperone Middle School field study [NEW]

• Apply for Free/Reduced Meals - NEW Oregon expanded income guidelines

• Sign up to support Christina at lunch

• SES current volunteer needs

• Konstella - One stop shop for parent information (PTSA)

• 2023-2024 Back to School Ask

• SES attendance form: English | Español

• Sunnyside School Page

• SES PTSA website | After school activities at SES

• SchoolPay | SchoolCafé

• Communicable disease protocol - aka when should I keep my child home from school?

• MESD head lice resources and information