Dear Community, I haven't put in a post in too long! My apologies! Here is the current Principal Notes!
KINDERGARTEN - Once again, I would like to request that if you know anyone interested in enrolling their child for Full or Half-Day options, please encourage them to register their child as soon as possible. This will help us make sure that we have the right resources ready for another world-class year of Kindergarten here!
STUDENT COUNCIL ADVISOR - Debra Wisniewski, our part-time Character Education Specialist, has been the advisor for our Student Council the last two years, but will be leaving us, as the Character Education Grant will be expiring at the end of this year. Prior to these Specialists helping us, the advising of Student Council had been done by parent advisors; we will need to have a parent advisor once again. If you would like to be that person, please contact Debra Wisniewski by leaving a message for her in the school office or by emailing her at dwisniew@pps.k12.or.us. There will be 3 more Student Council meetings this school year; if you contact her soon, you could attend some or all of these meetings with her to help you understand the process and get information and resources from her (On Mondays; April 28, May 5th and 19th).
LEAVE PLAYGROUND AFTER SCHOOL - As the days become nicer (keep your fingers crossed), please remember that children by policy must leave school at 2:15, unless they are in Art4Life, or have an adult responsible with them on the playground. I and the staff cannot be responsible for the safety of the children after school (see page 6 of “Maplewood’s Handbook and Calendar”).
GREEN SUMMIT - I accompanied four of our students to the Green Summit in Salem on March 13th, to represent what we, as a Green School, have been doing, and to learn about other ways to help our environment and human community. We went with representatives for 5 other PPS Schools, and spent the day sharing what we have been doing. There is great interest from the students in making sure we are conserving and “being green” whenever possible.
SITE COUNCIL NOMINATIONS SOUGHT - Maplewood’s Site Council is set up by Oregon State Law, that mandates that 3 parents serve on the committee of 10, along with staff and the Principal, to meet monthly. There will be one opening for people to serve a two-year term beginning in the fall. Why is this important? This committee represents our school community in setting the direction for the educational focus of our school, including helping decide and write the annual School Improvement Plan. They also give guidance on what types of Professional Development should happen for staff; and approve some important decisions (e.g., in the past such as offering both full- and half-day kindergarten, and scheduling on a Trimester calendar.)
Lisa Sloan and Laura Shier will continue in their second year, but we will need nominees to replace parent Darryn Sikora, who is finishing her second year of work on this Council. Please let John know immediately if you have interest in serving on this monthly Council meeting or want to nominate someone to provide this important input to our learning.
Once we get the nominations, we’ll hold an election in early May to select that person. Thank you for your interest and involvement!
SPELLDOWN - The following students from grades 3 - 5 will represent Maplewood at the district Spelldown on April 23rd: Eleanor Solomon and Jordan Samuel (3rd), Gavin McMinn and Brook Bateman (4th), and Carly Campbelll and Zoe La Du (5th).
SPRING SING - You are invited to a singing and dancing performance in our gym on the evening of Thursday, May 1st. The instrumental students will begin playing at 6:15 p.m. for the parents in the gym and the other students should report to their classrooms by 6:20 p.m. the program will start at 6:30 p.m. This year’s theme is, “A Land of a Thousand Dances!” Every grade level will share with you songs and dances from different places. The fifth grade students will narrate the program with the help from the “Maplewood Jukebox Time Machine” to take you to these different lands. Please don’t’ miss these outstanding students!
In addition, The PTA has set up two additional features for that night: Their Annual Used Book Sale which will start at 5:15 p.m. (see below) and they will be offering you a chance to have the Yearbook photographer take individual or group portrait photos.
MAPLEWOOD USED BOOK SALE
Please bring your gently used books, CDs, videos/DVDs, and CD-ROMs from Wednesday, April 23 to Thursday, May 1st. Take them to the hallway by the elevator (first left past the library).
Sale will be on Thursday May 1st, part of the Spring Celebration. Cash or check only.
“Many Bookworms make light work”
Cashiers and sorters needed!
Call Mike Gettel-Gilmartin at 244-7759 or e-mail gilmartin_michael@yahoo.com if you can help.
All profits go to the Maplewood PTA
(We’re hoping to have the sale outside, like we did last year, so if you have a canopy please let Mike know.)
RUN FOR THE ARTS - From Fran Kincaid, (Run for the Arts Coordinator): Thanks to all the parents, teachers and kids who make Run for the Arts such a great event! I am amazed each year at how hard so many of the kids work to get pledges and to keep moving for 30 minutes. A very special thanks to the many parent volunteers who make this event happen. We had so many volunteers we were able to have official cheerers! We also had several parents who ran with their kids. Be sure to thank our 5th grade team leaders who worked extra hard this year! It was a cold event this year but fortunately it didn't rain except for briefly during one of the afternoon sessions. I don't yet know how much money we raised but will keep you posted. I will also let you know how many miles we covered! If your child was absent and would like to participate in the Make-up Run, it will be on Tuesday, April 22nd!! Thanks again for a great RUN!!
NIKE 5K FUN RUN FOR MAPLEWOOD - You have likely received information about a fund-raiser sponsored by NIKE – a 5K Fun Run on their world headquarters campus in Beaverton. If you would like to participate please turn your registration form into the office by Tuesday, April 22nd. If you prefer to register your child or your family on your own, you may do so two ways. You may mail in your own application form with payment directly to NIKETOWN at the address on the entry form by May 28th. Or, you can register online at www.nike5Kforkids.com by May 30th. For more information go to www.nike5Kforkids.com – the Official Race website – or see our NIKE 5K For Kids School coordinator Maggie Vanderbeek.
SHARE YOUR IDEA ON NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL ASSIGNMENTS AND BOUNDARIES - Superintendent Carole Smith is reviewing a draft policy to clarify how Portland Public Schools assigns students to neighborhood schools. The policy, prepared by district staff, also offers guidelines for changing neighborhood school boundaries, using criteria including school feeder patterns, student body diversity, proximity and sense of community, optimal use of facilities, resource conservation stability at nearby schools and limiting the number of students affected. A board committee will take up the policy in late April, with school board consideration and a vote slated for May and June. To read more including the draft policy text, go to: http://cms9.pps.k12.or.us/.docs/pg/12484. Also to complete a survey go to the main PPS web page and go to "Click here for they survey" at http://www.pps.k12.or.us/.
OUR ENERGY CHALLENGE - Did you know that last year Portland’s public schools consumed over $3 million worth of electricity? Lucky for the district, which pays those hefty bills, this past spring we began this year’s “Energy Challenge”! The Energy Challenge is a Portland Public Schools program currently in its third year. The Challenge is a great opportunity for schools in the district to address their energy consumption and its inherent costs – both financial and environmental - and to reduce this consumption. In Oregon, where roughly forty percent of our electricity is produced by hydroelectric dams and another forty percent by burning coal, reducing our consumption of electricity can reduce our negative impacts on local salmon populations, while at the same time preventing air pollution and additional CO2 emissions that contribute to global warming.
This year, 15 schools participated in the Challenge, a three-month campaign from January through March. The campaign involved a wide range of awareness-raising activities as well as weekly classroom audits to monitor progress. Each school, including Maplewood, had a student team that champions the Challenge at their school. This team of students – which was made up of Student Council representatives and which we called the “Power Patrol” – performed the weekly energy audits and was responsible for raising awareness throughout the student body. To reduce energy consumption at each school the Challenge focuses on eliminating wasted energy, specifically where lights and computers are left on when not in use. In the past, schools have reduced their consumption by over ten percent during the Energy Challenge. With 15 schools participating this year, that could mean big savings for the district – and for the schools. To reward schools for their energy savings, each participating school received $150 at the start of the Challenge, and an additional $350 at the conclusion of the Challenge.
NEXT YEAR FOR YOUR CHILD - Believe it or not, I am needing to make some plans for next year, and some of those plans require your input! You will soon see requests coming home from me for two things:
- Your plans for next year (staying here, moving, waiting for transfer possibilities, other?)
- Your thoughts on the type of approaches/environment your child performs best in, and 2 or three main goals you would have for your child next year.
Apr 21-27 - T.V. Free Week
Apr 22 - Earth Day
Apr 22 - Run for the Arts Make-up Run
Apr 25 - Bookbaggers Overnight Event
May 1 - Spring Sing! - 6:30 pm
May 5 - Cinco de Mayo
May 11 - Mother’s Day!
May 12 - Yearbooks due to Arrive
May 19-23 - Teacher Appreciation Week! Note new date!
May 20 - Field Day
May 26 - Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL
June 5 - PTA Meeting - 6:15 pm
June 10 - Last Day of School!
