Principal Notes Nov. 30, 2007

Dear Community, Here is the text from this issue of Principal Notes:

REMINDER!!! – NO SCHOOL MONDAY, DECEMBER 3rd ~ TEACHER PLANNING DAY!

PTA Meeting Reminder – Thursday, Dec. 6^th at 6:15; babysitting provided!

Campaign Update - In your child's backpacks today you will find an announcement about the Blanck Check prize that the Campaign is offering. This is unique prize in that you get to decide what it is, and I help make that prize happen for you. Last year the Fuller Family won, and they asked me to take them rock climbing. (See the backpack flyer for the details.) I'm offering the Blanck Check again this year because:

1) I know how richly valuable our specialists are to your children's education, and I want to help to make the fundraising drive to preserve these positions successful.

2) I deeply appreciate all of our families working together to benefit all of the children, and this is a way for me to say "thank you."

Any family who makes a donation to the Campaign in any amount before the end of the year is eligible for the drawing. (And I understand "Kicker Checks" will be mailed next week!) The Campaign has raised $14,601 so far through 49 families. I hope you will join them and me in support of this effort.

This Month’s Lifeskill - During the month of December as part of our school’s effort to help students develop strong, positive, lifelong behaviors, we are highlighting the LIFESKILL of Organization.

At school, we are highlighting reasons for organization, which include: 1- It is essential that we plan and organize our environment to enhance our quality of life. 2 – Being organized does not mean being inflexible, non-creative, nor compulsive about cleanliness. 3 – Organizational skills are important throughout life. I am trying to model this Lifeskill myself; I have instituted a new organizational approach for my work here, in order to help follow through on commitments I make to you. I started by cleaning and organizing my office, and then followed up with some new processes (e.g. having people make appointments with me through our wonderful Secretary, Kathy, who is a model for great organization). There are numerous opportunities at home to reinforce the Lifeskill of Organization. Your child can:

· Organize his/her own room as often as necessary to provide a safe and healthy environment, one in which work and play can readily and easily occur

· Work with other family members to create an escape route from the house in case of fire or other emergencies

· Pack his/her own backpack and be responsible for the contents

· Pick up play things and put them back where they belong

· Plan, prepare and serve a family meal

· Create a homework/recreation schedule

If your child creates other projects using the LIFESKILL of Organization, please let us know so we can share them with other families in our next newsletter.

Attendance - As of today, our average attendance rate is 95.9% attendance, which shows us meeting our goal of 95.3%! This goal is an important one, as it helps our students keep current with their learning. It is a goal that all schools in Portland are required to address, and is also one of the factors in the State Report Card ratings (which affects our overall Exceptional report card rating). Thank you for everything you are doing to help your child attend as often as possible!

Upcoming Events:

Dec 3 - NO SCHOOL – Teacher Planning Day

Dec 6 - PTA Meeting – 6:15 pm

Dec 12 - Cookie Dough Delivered

Dec 21 - Winter Concert @ 12:30 pm

Dec 24 thru

Jan 4 WINTER BREAK!! – NO SCHOOL

Jan 7 - Welcome Back!!

Jan 10 - PTA Meeting – 6:15 pm

Jan 21 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday – NO SCHOOL

Principal Notes Oct. 18, 2007

GRANDPARENTS/SPECIAL FRIENDS - Are invited to come to Maplewood on Friday, Oct. 19t^h! A ceremony will be held at 12:30 p.m. in the gym, where Grandparents or Special Friends will all hear a student musical performance. After the p.m. program in the gym is finished, the adults can go back to the classroom with the students; hint: we’ll let our guests all leave school by 2:00 p.m. to avoid the usual traffic jams at the dismissal time at the end of the day. (If you want your child to leave school with someone different than we have on file, or to leave early, we must have a note from you!) Come enjoy the children, and hear praises for you as their Special Friends or Grandparents! The kids love to see you here!

COSTUME EVENTS - Wednesday, Oct. 31^st will again be a day when children can bring costumes to school to wear in an afternoon parade. Students will put on costumes after lunch, and begin the parade at 12:45 p.m. on the playground (in the gym if poor weather). To make this a safe, enjoyable event for everyone, make sure that the costumes are: SAFE (they shouldn’t restrict vision or trip them up; also, absolutely no fake or real weapons should be brought for this school affair) and APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR AGE (no revealing, bloody, or violent costumes) and CONVENIENT (so the student doesn’t have to be stressed about the time limits to get dressed; they will not be allowed to put on costumes until right after lunch).

NO SCHOOL NEXT FRIDAY! - Friday, October 26th, is a District-wide Professional Development Day, and school offices will be closed!

LIFESKILLS - The Lifelong Guidelines are the behavior guidelines that our school community will be practicing this year. These five guidelines (Trustworthiness, Truthfulness, Active Listening, No Put-Downs, and Personal Best) are based upon a respect for others and self and provide a safe environment in which learning can take place. The guideline that our school is focusing on in October is:

~Active Listening~

Some of the ways that we can explore the Lifelong Guideline of Active Listening include:

· Practice note-taking skills

· Listening to different forms of music

· Listing the characteristics of an active listener

· Attending an in-school or community performance and practicing active listening skills

In addition to modeling Active Listening for your child, there are ways that parents can help improve their children’s listening skills. You can support your child by:

· Reading aloud increasingly longer stories, staring with picture books and working up to chapter books and asking him/her to share what pictures come to mind as the story progresses

· Asking him/her to retell and evaluate TV programs

· Providing opportunities for your child to remember and follow increasingly difficult, multi-step instructions

· Identifying nature sounds during a walk in the woods, park, or while strolling along the beach

Please let us know of any other ideas that have worked for you. I want to thank Debra Wisniewski, our Character Education Specialist, for providing us with the reminders about our efforts here and for her valued work with our students. Debra will only be at Maplewood about once every 6 school days, as she is spread out to work in 6 schools (our Character Education Grant ended last June); she will be here to help us with our Student Council activities, and provide help to us all by consulting on “Lifeskills” and “Steps to Respect”.

Upcoming Events:

Oct 18 - TAG Parent Meeting at Maplewood @ 6:00 pm

Oct 19 - Grandparents/Special Friends Day at 12:30 pm

Oct 25 - BAJA FRESH Day – 11:00 – 9:00 p.m. 4^th Grade Fundraiser (7421 SW Barbur Blvd)

Oct 26 - NO SCHOOL – Professional Development Day

Oct 26 - Maplewood Carnival!

Oct 30 - Vision Screening - Kindergarten

Oct 31 - Halloween Parade

Playground Construction Report

Dear Community, This attached message was written by Michelle Zwartjes, to report from the Playground Committee on the successful construction party. Please read this to get an idea of the work involved, and also, to know who you can say "Thank You" (parents, and friends, and kids, and businesses, and community).

Our Playground Construction Party Was Wet but Successful!

After years of planning and fundraising, Maplewood’s new playground was installed on Saturday, June 9, with the help of an intrepid group of about 50 family and neighborhood volunteers who braved mud, rain, and chilly temperatures to erect the structure. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who worked so hard and with such good humor despite the less than ideal conditions. This was truly a community effort – thank you all!

The new playground looks great! It will provide our children and neighborhood families with a more challenging and diverse play structure. To create more of a community park, we are adding a picnic table, benches, and a drinking fountain.

In addition to our incredible crew of volunteers who helped to build the play structure in a single day, we have many people to thank for making our new playground a reality.

Major financial support was provided by Portland Citizens/Taxpayers, and the Portland Parks and Recreation Department, who allocated $30,000 to get the project really rolling this year. We received grants from the Autzen Foundation, Juan Young Trust, and Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. The maple leaves that now brighten our school yard through the “Leaf A Legacy” campaign, thanks to the perseverance and vision of Maplewood parent David Dacklin, contributed to our financial goals. The Run for the Playground was a huge success! We brought in twice as much money as is usual for this event – a big thank you goes out to all of the Maplewood students, families and neighbors who supported the Run for the Playground, and to Fran Kincaid and Lisa Sloan for pulling it together.

We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Maplewood parent Pablo Nadeau and his business, Coast Pavement Services. Coast is donating much of the site preparation cost, and this was a big job. They have been hard at work at Maplewood for weeks, and had to deal with a lot of challenging and labor-intensive last-minute technical glitches. We can’t thank them enough – and they’re not through yet!

Our gloomy installation day was brightened by the support of several of our local businesses – New Seasons Market provided us with fresh hot coffee, Pizza Caboose delivered a fabulous array of outstanding pizzas for lunch, Peanut Butter and Ellie’s gave us delicious fresh fruits and vegetables, and Art4Life staff helped out with providing childcare throughout the day for our workers.

Portland Public Schools demolished our old structure for us, and will be providing bark chips for surfacing. Thanks to the Maplewood Neighborhood Association for their support, and Parr Lumber on Scholls Ferry, Miller Paint in Raleigh Hills, and Home Depot all helped out with donations toward our Leaf a Legacy maple leaves. Several businesses in Multnomah Village chipped in to help support the playground as well – thanks to Annie Bloom’s, Thinker Toys, Village Beads, Switch Shoes, Birdie’s Teas and Gifts, and Sweets, Etc.

Thank you to our fearless leader, Principal John Blanck, for serving as a terrific advocate for the playground, lending his outstanding negotiating skills, securing permits in record time, and helping in every way. John was on site early in the morning on Saturday and worked tirelessly throughout the entire muddy, wet day along with everyone else to erect the play structure.

Finally, thanks to our playground committee for making it all happen. Our chair Jim Battan spent innumerable hours in meetings and pulling all of the technical details together. All of our committee members -- David Dacklin, Annette Fagan, Betty Girsch, Jules Moorhouse, Kimmy Nadeau, Pablo Nadeau, Joan Stein, Michele Zwartjes, and more recently, Alexander Ben-Israel – have worked together to complete a multitude of tasks, including hours of meetings and planning; grant writing; cutting, painting, varnishing and hanging maple leaves; and soliciting support from local businesses.

The new structure will be ready for play in a few weeks, after final adjustments are made, the concrete cures, and inspections are finished. Enjoy!

NOTE on June 13th from John Blanck: Today, we had concrete curbs and postholes cemented in, and will work the rest of this week on the "patio" and finish work. Then, we'll have things inspected, bark chips brought in, get a final inspection, and then let kids play on it! (First day to play on it will be soon after school is out).

Maplewood Parents and PTA

This list below, provided by outgoing PTA President Lisa Sloan, gives a glimpse of the incredible power of such a caring community, who donate time, money, energy, and creativity. I was absolutely open-mouthed as I reviewed this list! I'm guessing there are even activities left out!

We have accomplished so much as a school community over this past year. (Not to mention what our children have done!) As our year draws to a close, it is a chance for us to reflect on some highlights of what our wonderful parents have made possible for Maplewood through their time, talents and resources.

• A new Playground! This involved two years of parent planning, $55,000 in fundraising (including more than $15,000 from Run for the Playground), countless volunteer hours and true unity of our community. Congratulations to all for an amazing effort and success!!!

• Through 170 donor contributions, the Maplewood Campaign raised more than $30,000, enough money to retain one of our specialists for the 4^th year in a row.
• PTA provided $300 directtly to each classroom for Pupil Enrichment, including K-5, ESL, ERC, Computer, General PE, and Music.
• Author Roland Smith's visit was funded through PTA and the students thoroughly enjoyed it.
  

• The PTA Parent Resource Committee sponsored the first-ever Family Art Night, with more than 100 families joining in the fun.

• Parent Volunteers sold SCRIP live twice a week and increased weekly preorders to yield a record $4,000 in revenue to support staffing at Maplewood.

• 15 parents became Reading Friends to 30 students this year, helping them get the extra boost they needed to be successful.

• Parents helped with School Photos, Vision Screening and Hearing Tests.

• PTA funds provided a much-needed and deeply appreciated Air Conditioner for the front office.

• The Book Fair allowed students a chance to select and purchase literature, thanks to parents who organized the event, parents who volunteered during the event and parents who brought their children in to buy books (and paid for them!)

• Our Back to School Picnic & Open House celebration was enhanced by the Blue Grass Band, paid for through PTA.

• The annual PTA Carnival welcomed hundreds of children and families and served as a wonderful community-building activity for the entire school as well as raising more than $3,000 to support PTA programs – made possible through a well-organized and committed group of parents who planned the bash. Special thanks to our teachers for staffing the booths!

• Parents purchased and sold Sally Foster, Cookie Dough and Coffee to raise more than $8,000 to support PTA programs, and parent volunteers headed the sales.
• The PTA budget provided Field Trip Buses for K-3. Kindergarten used theirs for their trip to see The Boxfcar Children; 1st Grade went to the Rock Museum; 2nd Grade took their tirp to Franz Bakery; and 3rd Grade has taken TriMet so far this year, so their allocation is still unclaimed.
  

• PTA’s Garden Committee maintained the classroom beds, mobilized a crew to lay bark chips along the Wild Wood Trail and began initial planting for a school-wide garden literacy program. They also raised more than $1,000 through their Native Plant Sale to support the Playground.

• PTA parents, past and present, joined together to make this year’s School T-shirts.

• Parents organized, donated to and worked at our annual Used Book Sale, raising a record $800 for PTA programs, while simultaneously supporting our values of sharing, recycling and reusing.

• PTA hosted a New Parent Orientation to shed some light on the upcoming year.

• Collaboration, compromise and creativity among school administration, teachers, Site Council, PTA, Campaign and Playground Committee resulted in a school-wide plan to offset an additional .39 reduction in staff (which was eventually funded by PPS – Yahoo!)

• Class Parents helped the teachers organize volunteers, parties, field trips and numerous other projects.

• The Yearbook Committee produced our first ever full-color yearbook.

• Bookbaggers made memories for 80 students during this literacy-based overnight event, through the support of parent volunteers who planned, organized and helped on the night of the event.

• The PTA Clothing Center in NE Portland was again the recipient of Maplewood funds and volunteers, providing clean, new clothes to PPS students in need.

• Parents are working with the city, the Neighborhood Association and the school to further the Safe Routes to School program.

• Maplewood’s 5^th grade Conflict Managers enjoyed team-building, training and a final celebration thanks to PTA funds and parent support.

• Hundreds of Maple Leaves now decorate the fence around our school year, thanks to one parent’s vision and several helping hands. What a Legacy!

• This year’s Read-aloud-athon raised more than $5,000 to support PTA programs, with all the children participating, whether they raised funds or not.

• PTA monies and parent volunteers helped establish a 5^th grade Boys Empowerment Group, a weekly meeting to cultivate emotional intelligence and healthy friendships.

• Parents saved Thriftway receipts and Box Tops, used their WaMu debit cards and Target credit cards – all to earn Cash Back for Maplewood.

• Our annual School Directory was a labor of love and parent volunteer hours and very helpful to us all.

• Field Day volunteers are lined up to help with this fun-filled, year-end event for our students.
• PTA funded Overnight Field Trips for the 4th and 5th grades and provided busses for the 1st and Chorus to sing at Washington Square Mall.
  

• So many parents gave hours and hours of help in the classrooms and with take-home projects for the teachers. This support is invaluable to our teachers, and our children, and it is endlessly rewarding to the parents.

• Maplewood’s very own Laminating Fairy provided service that will stick with our kids for years!

• Parents have diligently tracked and reported on Legislative and Funding issues that effect PPS and Maplewood, and PTA funds from throughout the Portland metro area were used to help pass the most recent school funding measure.

• PTA has formed Liaisons with the Maplewood and Multnomah Neighborhood Associations and will be part of the Maplewood Neighborhood Association’s Annual Summer Picnic.

• The Spring Celebration was another chance for our school community to join together for some fun. Thank you PTA’s Parent Resource Committee for organizing this!
• The Maplewood Library was able to purchase 200 needed books including award winners, classics, ECB/ER books and additional copies of the most popular titles with PTA funds. About 600 books are checked out of our school library at any given time.
  

• PTA funds remained available as needed for Student Aid and Music Scholarships.

• Spirit Week was lots of fun for the students, and it happened thanks to parents helping behind the scenes. It was especially fun to see all of the parents in pajamas!

• Parents organized the teacher workroom and came in daily to do whatever work needed to be done.

• Multiple parents played a role in the success of Teacher Appreciation Week, from coordinating flowers to setting up a breakfast and providing a wonderful luncheon celebration.

• Parents got up to speed on today’s numbers at Family Math Night, with many supporting the event by running stations of math games and activities.

• Parent Coffees, an informal opportunity for parents to get together and chat, were held on Tuesday mornings, thanks to parent volunteers coordinated through the PTA Parent Resource Committee.

• Our School Pianos enjoyed their annual tune up through PTA funds.

• Parents provided meals at each monthly PTA meeting, and PTA funds enabled childcare.

• The 2^nd Annual Maplewood Camping Trip is coming up in August, courtesy of efforts of the PTA Parent Resource Committee.

• Parents published and distributed a monthly PTA Newsletter to keep all parents informed of school activities.

• PTA supported Safety Patrol again this year by providing their insurance and funding their end-of-year celebration, and our staff provided daily support and coaching.

• For the fourth year in a row, a parent volunteer worked with an entire grade, 3^rd this year, to write, produce and perform their own play.
• Our children are so fortunate to participate in a parent-run Art Literacy program, with this year's artists including Vincent Van Gogh, Keith Haring, Henri Matisse, and Edgar Degas.
  

• 60 children learned and played at Chess Club each Friday through the support of parent leaders and weekly parent volunteers.

• Parents spent countless hours helping with homework, driving kids to and from school, packing lunches and snacks, getting kids to sleep at night and up in the morning, keeping track of library books and PE days, reading to them, feeding them, clothing them, loving them – The Greatest Support of All.

Wow! What a list!! And there were certainly more activities than are listed here. Thank you, all of you, for your bountiful generosity! Maplewood parents are renowned for supporting our wonderful school, and these pages make it clear - we have a lot to celebrate and each of you should feel very proud of your contribution. Congratulation to all!!! Lisa Sloan, PTA President

Principal Notes June 1, 2007

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED ON FRIDAY JUNE 8^TH - For just an hour or two on Friday afternoon, June 8th, to help unload our new playground equipment! We need 8 to 10 folks to help us unload the truck in preparation for the installation of the new play equipment on Saturday. Please contact Michele Zwartjes by Wednesday, June 6, if you can help out at 503-245-1871 or pmmzwartjes@yahoo.com. Sorry, we don't know the exact time yet, but will let you know a soon as we hear from the delivery people. Thank you! We are so grateful to our school community for coming together to make our new playground a reality!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED ON SATURDAY, JUNE 9^TH - For assembly of the new playground equipment on Saturday, June 9th. We know that it is the same day as some of the Rose Festival Parade events, but we have a site all prepared and will need to put in the equipment as soon as it arrives. There will be childcare, lunch, and tools provided, as well as a chance to have fun building a giant “erector set”! Contact David Dacklin at 503.244-5938 or at DacklinD@aol.com to sign up for time between 8:00am and 5:00pm!

SUMMER EVENTS –

v Reminder the Maplewood Family Camping Trip is Aug 10-12th

v Tuesday Nights are April Hill Park nights all summer long - some might moved to Maplewood to enjoy the new playground. No specific time - show up when you like and see who is there.

YEAR END CAFETERIA ACCOUNT BALANCES –

• Any remaining account balances (positive or negative) on students’ meal accounts at the end of the year will be automatically held for students at their current school or transferred to students’ new schools within the district.
• If your student is leaving the district then you may call Luda, Cafeteria Manager at 503-916-5219 to arrange for a refund.
• Parents/Guardians, I’m noticing in the last couple of weeks, a lot of negative balances. Spring is a busy time of year, so let’s try to remember to send lunch money. Thanks, Luda

KEEPING CHICKENS IS FUN! - We have 4 chicks that need a home ASAP. They were hatched in an incubator in a classroom and now they need a place to call home. If you are interested in adopting these cuties and raising your own hens please contact Teri or Bob Carlson (503) 977-3458. We can't keep them ourselves as we already have our own.

SUMMER TIPS FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE

As the school year comes to a close, I’d like to take this opportunity to remind you of some things to keep you healthy over the summer.

q Protect yourself from the sun! Put on sunscreen of SPF 15 or more at least 20 minutes before you plan to be outside. Use it liberally and often!! Wear a hat and sunglasses for even more protection, and remember that the suns rays are the most harmful between 10 am and 4 pm.

q Head lice do not take a break in the summer! Continue to have your parents check your head weekly throughout the summer to prevent a head lice infestation. Head lice are very common and can be found anywhere! Remember to use your own pillow and sleeping bag at sleep-overs, do not share hairbrushes, and keep long hair pulled back.

q Drink plenty of water (8-10 glasses per day). Do not wait until you are thirsty to get a drink. Stay away from sugary & caffeinated drinks, water is best to prevent dehydration. Signs of dehydration include dry mouth, flushed skin, headache, fatigue and decreased physical performance.

q Be careful around water. A person can drown in as little as two minutes, and in as little as two inches of water! Always swim with a buddy…never swim alone. A life jacket is a good idea, but is not a substitute for swimming safely. Always wear a life jacket if you are boating!

q Have a wonderful, safe summer!!

Upcoming Events:

June 5^th - 5^th Grade vs Staff Basketball Game at 12:30 pm

June 6^th - Jr. Rose Festival Parade - 3^rd Grade, Band, and Drums Group

June 12^th - Field Day!

June 14^th - All School Assembly at 12:30 pm

June 15^th - 5^th Grade Talent Show at 10:00 am

June 15^th - Last Day of School for Students!!!

Principal Notes May 29, 2007

SUMMER WATERING ORIENTATION / GARDEN COMMITTEE MEETING – Will be on Tuesday, June 12^th. If you signed up to help with watering the Maplewood gardens this summer, there'll be a short orientation (How do you turn on those hose bibs, anyway?) on Tuesday, June 12 at 6 p.m. to be followed right after by... the final Garden committee meeting of the year at 7 p.m. in the library. (Hope folks aren't too tired to make it after Field Day!) We'll start some preliminary planning for next year. Hope to see you there!

A RECORD-BREAKING BOOK SALE - This year's Used Book Sale was a smashing success. Thanks to all who donated more items than ever before, and to all who helped in so many different capacities. As always, Kathy Shimizu was very helpful with publicity and John Blanck helped mightily with the set-up. Special thanks to Renae Conkle; Jelena Mrdjan; Amy McCleskey and her son, Max; Nathan Bissonette; Marie Gettel-Gilmartin and Christopher; Annette Fagan; Melissa Gagliano; and Jolie Russo and Nico - all of whom helped with either sorting or cashiering. Thanks also to all the strong arms who whisked the sale indoors when it started to rain! It was just like the grounds crew at Wimbledon! John Blanck had the brilliant idea of leaving the books out in the hallway for a couple more days. We earned another $200 dollars to add to the $618 made on the night itself: another record! As always, I was reminded what a great community we have at Maplewood. Michael Gettel-Gilmartin

GRAUER BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES GIVEAWAY ON AUGUST 11,2007! - For the past five years, Neighborhood House SUN community Schools has partnered with the Grauer Back-to-School Project to supply eligible children in Southwest Portland with school supplies, backpacks, shoes, socks, and coats. To be eligible, the child must live or attend school (K-12) in Southwest Portland AND the child must be eligible for federal free and reduced lunch program. Children receiving supplies must be present at the event and must come with a parent or guardian.
The school supplies will be distributed on: Saturday, August 11^th from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at St. Luke Lutheran Church (6835 SW 46^th Avenue, Trimet Bus #1 – Vermont). Please do not arrive before 7:00 a.m. or you will be asked to leave. Questions should be directed to Frances at Neighborhood House: 503-244-2292, ext. 213.

IT'S THEATRE TIME!! - Come enjoy the third grade play this Friday, June 1st at 10:00am in the Gym. Both third grade classes have enjoyed creating through their theatre workshop this year. They have worked hard all year on a play that they helped create by choosing their own characters from history as well as a few creative futuristic characters. The students did research on many people from history and helped write a fantastic play. The final result is creative, humorous and educational.

BREAKING NEWS ABOUT CONSTRUCTING THE NEW MAPLEWOOD PLAYGROUND - Did you enjoy erector sets as a child and secretly crave to build? Do you want to help assemble the playground equipment? If so, the playground committee needs YOU (and 30 of your neighbors and friends) on Saturday June 9th to help construct/assemble our new playground equipment. A paid contractor/coordinator will be on hand to direct the work. Volunteer shifts will be from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. IMPORTANT: You must sign up by contacting David Dacklin at 503-244-5938 or email him at dacklind@aol.com .

To Sign Up, indicate: 1) a cell phone or other number to reach you, 2) how long you can work, 3) names of the adults and number of children (if child care is needed). If you can only work part time that day, please solicit someone with whom you can "tag team" that day. Lunch will be provided. Childcare will also be available - more details to follow. Lets make this dream a reality! See YOU at the building event of the year!
Other Construction Information: The concrete for the footings and for the "curb" and for the "patio" will be poured during the week following the assembly. Final inspections will then be done, and lastly, playground bark chips will be filled in, making the likely "Grand Opening" of the playground happen the week after school is out (a great start to summer!).

Upcoming Events:

June 5^th - 5^th Grade vs Staff Basketball Game at 12:30 pm

June 6^th - Jr. Rose Festival Parade - 3^rd Grade, Band, and Drums Group

June 12^th - Field Day!

June 14^th - All School Assembly 12:30

June 15^th - 5^th Grade Talent Show at 10:00 am

June 15^th - Last Day of School for Students!!!

Principal Notes April 27, 2007

RUN FOR THE PLAYGROUND - Was a huge success and lots of fun!!! We have already collected $6514.00 out of a projected $14,500.00 (get out there and get those pledges collected!) The kids were fabulous--running and walking their hearts out! Many, many thanks to all the volunteers. This is an event that doesn't happen without you (setting up, tallying laps, cheering, dancing...)! Thanks also to the teachers--who motivated, reminded and some even trained--their kids for this event. We even had a neighborhood couple come in, baby in arms, to donate $100 to the playground. Equally received are the allowances kids have given up to the Run and the $1.77 in beach flower sales! Remember to get those pledges collected. We would love to have them all in by Wednesday, May 2nd!

WRITE ON!! - Maplewood Students Win Writing Awards: Congratulations to Gavin McMinn and Perry Taylor for winning First Place awards in the Tryon Creek State Park "Tall Tale Contest." The topic: "How Skunk Got Its Smell." Gavin won top honors in the Third Grade division, his second straight selection in this annual competition. And Perry won in the Fourth Grade division, the third straight year he's been among the winners.

This is no small deal as more than 300 grade school students from around the region and state submitted story entries. That's more than 50 for each grade level! They read their tall tales last Sunday, Earth Day, April 22, at a Tryon Creek State Park celebration and they’ll read their stories on the air at radio station KBPS 1450 AM. So congratulations to Gavin and Perry -- and of course, to the Maplewood teachers, who have helped them, and all the other students, write clearly, creatively and colorfully!

SUPERINTENDENT LEAVING PORTLAND – I was taken totally by surprise, as were you, by Vicki Phillips’ announcement yesterday that she would be leaving the district July 1^st. I am disappointed that she is leaving so soon, as change like this can make you feel anxious about what happens to the district in the meantime. After reflecting for a day about this, though, I look at this particular school and know that the staff here, with parent and student support, will concentrate our efforts on what we CAN control, which is what and how we interact and teach our wonderful students each day. I am absolutely certain that we will keep our energies keenly focused on our education here at Maplewood, while I work to keep an eye on the larger picture and “the road ahead” so that we will be prepared for any actions that will affect us. To that end, I’ll also specifically suggest that you do two civic-minded things:

1. School Board Election - Pay attention and get information related to the School Board candidates: you can attend Portland Public School Board Candidate Forum, April 26: Candidates for four positions on the Portland Public School Board will appear on Thursday, April 26, at 7 p.m. in the Board Room of the Blanchard Education Service Center, 501 North Dixon Street, Portland, in a forum co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Portland Education Fund, the Portland Council PTA, Community and Parents for Public Schools, and the Portland Schools Foundation. The forum is free, and the public is invited to attend. All six candidates for Portland Public School Board positions have been invited to participate. Portland Public Schools Television Services will record the forum for later broadcast on Channel 28. The broadcast schedule will be posted on the League's web site (www.lwvpdx.org). For more information, call the Portland League office at 503-228-1675. Another forum is set for Voter’s Forum at Multnomah Arts Center on Monday evening, April 30^th. The candidates for School Board from our region will be there to discuss their positions, and a discussion will also be held about the ballot measure on changing the structure of city government.
2. 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 are two openings for people to serve two terms 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; they have approved some important decisions in the past such as offering both full- and half-day kindergarten, and scheduling on a Trimester calendar. Simone Frank and Dave Garnand are finishing the end of their second year, so we need two or more nominees to serve next year along with parent Darryn Sikora. 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.

TWO IMPORTANT, FUN EVENTS CLARIFIED - Remember that there are two separate events being sponsored by parents soon: On Friday, May 4^th there is the third Leaf Painting Party. Then two weeks later, come to the May 18^th event below:

Spring Celebration! May 18^th, 2007 Time: 6:00 – 8:00 P.M.

Live Jazz!

Books, Movies, DVDs!

BYOP!! Bring Your Own Picnic and blanket and enjoy a meal with friends.

Activities and games, Tour the Wildwood, Learn about “Green” events in your school and neighborhood.

Used Book Sale!! Donate books, then come and “find your treasure”!

Sponsored by: Maplewood PTA Family Resource Committee

Upcoming Events:

Apr 27/28th - Bookbaggers

May 4^th - Legacy Leaf Painting @ 6:00 pm Cafeteria

May 7^th - 11^th Teacher Appreciation Week!

May 10^th - PTA Meeting @6:15 pm

May 13^th - Mother’s Day

May 15^th - “A Musical Tour of the Americas” Bochinche Grades K- 5, 12:45 – 1:45 pm

May 17^th - Kindergarten Open House @ 3:00 pm

May 18^th - Spring Gathering/Used Book Sale

May 28^th - NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day

Principal Notes April 20, 2007

RUN FOR THE PLAYGROUND – This event is Tuesday, April 24^th, with the pledged money going directly to the new playground (did you see the demolition of the old equipment going on this week?) Please bring in pledges as soon as possible; we’re planning on having the Run happen rain or shine (too rainy means we’ll run in the gym).

WANTED: Plumber Help - Do you know a good plumber that likes to work pro-bono or at a reduced rate for a really great cause? The Playground Replacement Committee needs your help in identifying a plumber that would be interested in installing a year round outdoor drinking fountain near the new playground. The fountain has been specified and has been included in the project budget so the work needed would all be related to installation. If you know someone or have someone in mind please contact Jim Battan Jim@battan.com or Joan Stein joan@joanstein.net. Thank you in advance for your help.

STATE REPORT CARD - You will be getting two copies of the official State Report Card – one for Maplewood and one for the District. This report card is mandated by state law, and includes some categories that can be very misleading unless you look closely at the definitions of the categories. Please let me know if you have any questions about them.

CLASS PLACEMENTS PROCESS FOR NEXT FALL - For those of you new to Maplewood, or who may have wondered about the process that we will be following for determining the class rosters for next fall, I want to give you a brief set of information to avoid any confusion you may feel.

This process will be very similar to the one I have used for the last 6 years; I take this sorting process very seriously, and give it a lot of time and thought. This Next Week: I will be sending home, on Monday, a letter to you asking about your plans for returning to Maplewood. Please give your best guess about the information there, to help me know what numbers of students at different grade levels will be. In May: I will be giving you a form that you can fill out that will describe your goals for your child next year, and what types of learning experiences fit your child best. You will not be able to indicate a particular teacher on that form. I will also ask teachers to give me lists of students with their indications of the student’s current academic levels, and special characteristics. June: I will go over all of the above information, and combine it with my updated knowledge of the teaching staff assignments, and make balanced class rosters. The decision for the placements is mine, so please do not ask your current teachers to make that decision. July: At the very beginning of the month, I will send out a letter to the families describing the teacher placement, class list, school supplies, and any other updated information to help you get ready for the fall.

Thanks for your support and cooperation with this process; if you have any questions along the way, please feel free to contact me.

Upcoming Events:

Apr 24th - Run for the PLAYGROUND!

Apr 27/28th - Bookbaggers Overnight

May 4th - Legacy Leaf Painting @ 6:00 pm Cafeteria

May 7 - 11th Teacher Appreciation Week!

May 10^th - PTA Meeting @6:15 pm

May 13^th - Mother’s Day

May 15^th - “A Musical Tour of the Americas” Bochinche Grades K- 5, 12:45 – 1:45 pm

May 17^th - Kindergarten Open House @ 3:00 pm

May 18^th - Spring Gathering

May 28^th - NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day

Principal Notes April 6, 2007

GOOD NEWS ABOUT OUR STAFFING! – You may have read the article in this month’s Multnomah Post, that indicated I was told to plan for a loss of 0.39 FTE - almost a half-time specialist – for next fall. (As you may have heard, the 0.39 drop in FTE was based on a drop in average enrollment of only 9 students from the previous year)! At that point, a collaboration of parents here met with me and we came up with a plan to re-allocate money from the playground to make up for the staffing. HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS – While this was happening, the School District met with me several times on a plan to keep Maplewood strong and to support us, and they agreed to return that additional 0.39 to us! This was based on the rationale that the recent disruptions of closures and boundary changes, as well as the district commitment to provide stability and enrichment support for all schools, all combined to make the support for our staffing vital. When we received that good news, I then brought up several possible courses of action for what to do with this unexpected help. At this point, I urge you to attend an Important PTA Meeting this coming Thursday at 6:15! The PTA will be voting on two motions: to approve the return of the $14,000 back to the PTA, as well as the approval of an exciting design and plan for a new playground! By the way, I noticed that this month’s Lifeskill being taught our students is “Problem-Solving”, which was demonstrated so well by our PTA, Playground Committee, Site Council, and Foundation Campaign volunteers; they should be congratulated on their collaboration and willingness to thoughtfully address problems as they arise.

PTA MEETING THIS THURSDAY, APRIL 12^TH AT 6:15 – Come to this meeting to participate in a vote for the playground design, as described above!

2007 READ-ALOUD-ATHON SUMMARY - The totals are in for this year's Read-Aloud-Athon; our readers read 4,134 pages and in so doing raised $4,959.55 for the Maplewood PTA. Congratulations to the Maplewood Community for a very successful fund raising effort. All of the students received a participation prize. In addition, Mrs. McClenaghan's students -- with 70% of the class returning paid pledge forms -- will enjoy a pizza party with Mr. Blanck. Individual prizes were awarded as well. Thank you to Stephanie Coren, Susan Barimo, Joan Wallace, Renae Conkle, Glen Wallace, Jim Battan, Cindy Collins-Taylor, Theresa Fowler, Shannon Riley and Kaari Misclevitz for assisting in the classrooms on the day of the event. Thank you especially to the students, their sponsors and the classroom teachers for participating in this fund raising effort and making it a success.

REMINDER! - MAPLEWOOD IS IN SESSION THIS COMING THURSDAY, BUT NOT ON FRIDAY – This coming Thursday, April 12, is one of the two days this year when quarterly schools are not in session, but Trimester schools such as Maplewood ARE open. But Friday, April 13 is a Professional Development Day, and all PPS schools will be closed.

GRAB YOUR BIKE, SKATES (DON’T FORGET THAT HELMET!) OR JUST PUT ON YOUR WALKING SHOES AND JOIN US WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11^TH FOR OUR FIRST MAPLEWOOD WALK TO SCHOOL DAY

For those who would like to walk from Multnomah Village, gather outside the Multnomah Arts Center at 7:00 am rain or shine. We will be leaving from there at 7:10 am and walking through Gabriel Park. For those who would like to walk from the west, gather with Mr. Blanck at the corner of 60^th and Miles St at 7:30 rain or shine, and we’ll walk through April Hill Park to school. Parents, please join your kids on these walks. All the students that participate will be entered in a raffle for helmets, blinker lights and other safety equipment. Raffle prizes donated by; Doernbecher Children’s Safety Center, ThinkFirst Oregon and Foot Traffic. Hope to see you all out and about. Please contact Julie Luisi Harp with any questions luisihar@ohsu.edu or 503-332-1014.

BOOKBAGGERS - COMING YOUR WAY APRIL 27 - Love books? Have a hobby, craft idea or skill you'd like to share? The Bookbaggers Committee is looking for Bookbagger Station Leaders! If you are interested in hosting a literacy-based session on this Friday overnight, please contact Lori Matlock at lmatlock@ltk.com or 503-246-7151 for more information, or even better, to say "of course I'll do it!"

MAPLEWOOD ALUMNI IN PLAY! - I am writing on behalf of Robert Gray Middle School to tell you about an exciting production in the works. R.G.M.S. presents the play, "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown." This is a family friendly event for all ages. Performance dates are May 17 (6:30pm), May 18 & 19 (7pm). Four Maplewood alumni have parts in the production, and a variety of others are helping out in the stage crew. Watch 7th grader Nora Helfand as Snoopy, 7th grader Nate Hansen as Woodstock, 7th grader Karly Heirendt in the ensemble, and 6th grader Austin Mahar as good ol’ Charlie Brown. Adult tickets are $7, and student tickets are $5, or you can get a family pack of 5 tickets for just $20! Christy Caton will be at school next Thursday, April 12th selling tickets after school right near the scrip table. After that, tickets can be purchased in a variety of ways. You can contact Rosemary Schwimmer via email at rjschwimmer@comcast.net and she will place tickets in “Will Call” for you, or simply look for ticket order forms in the Maplewood office. Complete the order form, attach a check, or cash, and your tickets will be delivered to your child’s teacher within a few days! If you have any questions, contact Christy Caton at christycaton@msn.com or by calling 503-246-0891. We hope to see you there!

Upcoming Events:

Apr 11 - Walk/Bike to School Day

Apr 12 - “Mask Works” Imago Theatre @ 1:00 pm

Apr 12 - PTA Meeting @ 6:15 pm

Apr 13 - NO SCHOOL – Professional Development Day

Apr 14 - Plant Sale

Apr 16 - “Windows to the World” Will Hornyak @ 9:00 am

Apr 24 - Run for the PLAYGROUND!

Apr 27/28 - Bookbaggers

May 4 - Legacy Leaf Painting @6:00 pm Cafeteria