As many of you know, I use summer as a time to reflect, and to make plans, by heading into the wilderness and onto the mountains. This past summer, I did so again, and made an important decision that I want to share with you.I have recently informed the District that I will retire, effective at the end of this school year.
This was a difficult decision for me, because I cherish this community and this school. This will be the end of my 35th year in public education, and my 11th year at Maplewood as Principal. When I first began my work here, I was aware that there had been a lot of turnover, and promised that I would stay at least as long as my predecessors; little did I know that I would fall in love with this work, and end up staying here happily this long. The children, this staff, and this community constantly provide me with a fresh perspective on life to help me feel young, and excited to be here.
This work as a Principal has been the hardest in my life, but has absolutely been the most rewarding, as well. I have always been humbled by the importance of this work, and by the trust that you have shown me. I will certainly miss all of the children, and all of you, but I have decided that this is the best time for me to make this change, and believe this will be the right time to pass on the leadership of this school.
So, what happens now? First, I will be giving reassurances and attention to all the students for the next 9 months before I leave, so that they know they will be well-cared for. Secondly, our Human Resources leaders will want to hear from parents and teachers about our school needs. The usual method for this is to host a community meeting sometime this fall, where you can come and discuss this in person; they will also be sending out surveys for your input. At the meeting, they will explain the hiring process, including how members of the community can volunteer for the community interview committee.
Over the next few days, you might want to take a few minutes to tell your children. I know that change can be hard for some; your child may not be affected by this, and yet some of the kids may have a hard time with this type of change. I will be checking in with the teachers and with the students, and stay alert to those that may need more reassurance, or who have questions.
Lastly, and most importantly, I will be giving full attention to making this an excellent year for the students and a smooth transition to the new Principal.
NO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY, OCT. 8TH! – Statewide Inservice Day
BUSY START TO THE YEAR! - This year began with a record high number of kids enrolled here, and a record low number of staff. We are currently at 348 students, with our highest numbers at 30 and 31 in 4th and 5th; we now have the brand new Half-Day K class, which keeps our numbers in the Kindergarten classes at an average of 17; children continue to register!Budget cuts over the summer meant that we lost our Music Teacher, and one full-time Educational Assistant for Special Education students. The end of our Oregon grant for P.E. meant that we moved from Full-Time P.E. to Half-Time this year.
GRANDPARENTS/SPECIAL FRIENDS - This year, we are not able to provide a specialized, separate event for these folks. The large numbers of students, and the loss of our music program, have meant we’ll shift our focus. We would like to continue our support for having Grandparents and Special Friends being involved with your children’s education; we’d therefore like to extend invitations to have them come and visit the school or be involved in many of the future activities. For example, we certainly would invite them to come during the Carnival Oct. 15, or Spirit Week, or volunteering in the classroom, etc. A more complete list of dates and activities will be sent to you as reminders soon.
REMINDERS FROM NUTRITION SERVICES - Families are reminded to send lunch money to pre-pay for meals or send a lunch from home unless students qualified for free meals in the 2009-10 school year. Students are permitted to carry-over prior year eligibility through October 12, 2010, but families must re-apply each school year to continue to receive free or reduced price meals and fee reductions for other programs. Families are encouraged to use MyLunchMoney.com for convenient online meal payments.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR LIBRARIAN, ELIN KORDAHL! - who will receive her award October 8th at a banquet downstate for Oregon Librarian of the Year!
CAMPAIGN SUCCESSFUL! - The last-minute budget cuts can’t hide my gratitude for the Annual Campaign; the funds you raised last spring helped save one half-time specialist; if we wouldn’t have had those funds, we would have lost three half-time positions. This fund-raising is so essential for our school.
LUNCH SCHEDULENEEDED CHANGES - For several years, our lunchtime routine was to have students eat first, and then go out to lunch recess. There were suggestions that we should reverse that schedule, to make sure students didn’t rush through their lunch in order to get to recess. We set up that schedule this fall, and tried it for three weeks, but this past Monday I switched back the schedule; we don’t have enough staff to be able to adequately cover the intricate timing, and we had many students who didn’t get enough time to eat their lunch. So, at the present time, we’ll be on a schedule that has students eating, and then going out to recess. We will be able to let students stay to eat their lunch as long as they like. The staff will also watch the students closely, and make sure that they eat a healthy amount of food before they go out.
PARENT PLAYGROUND MONITORS - The PTA provided me with an initial list of parents willing to come help supervise on the playground at lunch-time. I’m now inviting more parents to volunteer to help us. In order to help supervise, you must take a 45 minute training session with me, and have a current background check. My next training dates will be on Tuesday, Oct. 12, and on Thursday, Oct. 14th from 10:00 to 10:45. You can volunteer to come as often as you choose; we have a schedule of potential times; our recess supervision runs in 15 minute intervals from 11:15 to 12:15. Please email or phone John if you are interested.
PICK-UP AND DROP-OFF - I appreciate the help PTA members gave us on directing traffic; there are new parents, though, who continue to think they should park their cars in the drop-off zone in the morning. Please remember that you can drop your children off by driving by school in either direction; if coming from the South, you can pull into the drop-off lane and then continue northbound with a right turn. If coming from the North, simply pull up to the crosswalk and let your child get out of the car at the cones, and the Safety Patrol and Mr. Blanck will help them cross. Please, no U-turns, as it creates traffic hazards for the people walking.
SKILLS AND ASSETS OF OUR CHILDREN - Write your wishes for “What I’d Like Maplewood to Teach Our Children” on the giant poster in the main hall.
LATE CALLS/LATE ARRIVALS - Late calls in the day can be unsafe; please make your after-school plans as early as possible and send a note, or at least make a phone call early in the day. Also, please aim for early arrivals (“Ready at Eight” means children ready to begin instruction, not just walking in the door). E-mails about absences or pick-up arrangements are not good ways to notify us (in case computers are down, and because we don’t monitor emails on a minute to minute basis).
MUSIC PROGRAM - We’re going to convene people to give advice on what we can provide children, given the loss of our music program. We are looking at raising money for Performances, Assemblies, or Residencies that would benefit all our children.
LOST AND FOUND - The pile grows again! Write your name on the inside labels of clothing, so we can help your children recover clothing that they forgot somewhere.
THANK TO THE PTA for the New Parent Meeting - It was good to see this enthusiastic new group of parents!
DISTRIBUTION OF MATERIALSPolicy -“Under Board Policy 3.30.35 and Administrative Directive, schools may distribute information from certain non-PPS groups. The groups providing this information are not endorsed or sponsored by Portland Public Schools. District policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, color, creed, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation. BP 1.80.020. Not all outside groups comply with the District’s non-discrimination policy. Families are strongly encouraged to review all materials closely.”
Upcoming Events:
Oct 1 - Hearing Screening – K and 1st grade
Oct 5 -Picture Day!
Oct 7 -Walk to School Day
Oct 7 -TAG screening for all 2nd graders
Oct 8 -NO SCHOOL – Statewide Inservice Day
Oct 12 -Playground Supervision Training – 10:00 - 10:45 am
Oct 13 - 2 Hour Late Opening
Oct 14- Playground Supervision Training – 10:00 – 10:45 am
Oct 15 - CARNIVAL!!
Oct 27 - Parent Meetings:ELL Parents 5:30-6:00 pm;
TAG Parents 7-8:00 pm (both meetings at Wilson HS)
