Principal Notes April 21, 2008

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 5^th and 19^th).

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 13^th, 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 23^rd: Eleanor Solomon and Jordan Samuel (3rd), Gavin McMinn and Brook Bateman (4^th), 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 1^st. 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 22^nd!! 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 22^nd. 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 28^th. Or, you can register online at www.nike5Kforkids.com by May 30^th. 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.

Upcoming Events:

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!

Principal Notes December 21, 2007

Dear Community,
You get an advanced notice of the Principal Notes that will be sent home tomorrow with the students. Please take a look at the items, and at the "Upcoming Events" section of today's Notes to make sure you're aware of some important events!

HAPPY WINTER BREAK TO YOU! See you when school resumes on January 7^th!

MAPLEWOOD CHOIR ON THE RADIO - Our choir was recorded by KBPS radio 1450 am this past Wednesday. Their music will be broadcast at an unspecified time on Dec. 24^th and 25^th; KBPS will announce who will be performing at the beginning of every hour that day.

ANNUAL CAMPAIGN UPDATES –

1. REMINDER: This winter break is the last opportunity to get your donation logged to be eligible for the drawing for the "Blanck Check". A donation of any size will make you eligible for two hours of my time for any project! Donations postmarked during the holiday will be added to the drawing, to be done when we return from break!

2. I wanted to give belated thanks to the parent committee that has worked so hard for this year's Maplewood Campaign. Their tireless efforts (some of them have been active for several years on supporting the funds going to our teaching specialists).

3. At my last contact with the committee, we have had 63 Maplewood families contributing a total of $17,934 to this year's campaign. We still need $27,066 to reach our goal! I will be working with our committee to apply for grants and find ways to reach our goal - the more families that donate, the easier it will be to convince grant funders that our community truly does everything it can to support the educational programs for our children.

4. I received the news from the Portland Schools Foundation that they have changed their policy on how much of a donation goes directly to Maplewood; the PPS School Board recently voted that after the first $10,000 of donations each year to a school, 66% goes to the school and 33% goes to the PPS Foundation to help out schools with high poverty rate (prior policy was that the percentages would apply after the first $5,000 - this increases the amount that will go directly to Maplewood).

5. My thanks to all of you who have contributed so far - I conduct many tours of the school each year, and in almost all cases, people have heard of the reputation this community values a well-rounded education.

CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS TO THE PTA’S NEWSLETTER “BRANCHING OUT” DEC. 07

~ Fundraising Meeting date should read Dec. 10

~ jsmrdjan@comcast.net is correct email for Jelena Mrdjan (a letter was reversed)

~Third Restaurant Review should read: Acapulco Gold SW

~ Kudos should have included: Thanks to Charis Botek, Stacie Pacheco & Monica Sandoval for making the lovely red caps for the first graders mall performance!

~ We are currently providing the Reading Friends program for 43 Maplewood students. We had a tremendous response from volunteers, and we have 24 Reading Friends at this time. Unfortunately, we have a waiting list of 5 students in need of this wonderful reading enrichment program. I need at least five more volunteers that could start after the winter holidays. Parents, grandparents, and neighbors are encouraged to contact me if they have an hour of volunteer time that they could offer weekly. Training is provided. Contact Ally Burr-Harris at 503-246-4766 or burrharrisa@yahoo.com if interested in volunteering. Thanks!

~ Coffee orders are in and have been delivered. Happily, they are the full pound we have always enjoyed. (The order was taken by a new employee, and all was straightened out before it was filled.) The labels reflect the correct amount in the bag. Any questions can be directed to Diane F. Smith 452-6948.

RGMS PTA E-MAIL LIST - Robert Gray PTA invites Maplewood parents to join the RGMS PTA e-mail list, a periodic electronic newsletter. E-mails are informative and relevant and contain PPS news, updates on events, activities, and volunteer opportunities at Gray and in the community. All are welcome to join; just send an e-mail to graypta@gmail.com. For more information on the Robert Gray PTA, go to http://www.graypta.org.

A SPECIAL GIVING OPPORTUNITY - Friday Jan. 18^th ~ By David Dacklin/Volunteer Coordinator

Around the holiday our thoughts tend to the appreciative side of things. The act of giving Thanks at Thanksgiving can be humbling when we recant all that we can grateful for. It can also instill us with a sense of duty to those in our community who don’t have quite as much to be thankful for as we do.

To meet that end the Parent Resource Committee has selected a Giving Opportunity for our community at Maplewood to enrich the Goose Hollow Family Shelter. For Friday night Jan. 18^th we are actively seeking two families who would like to jointly cook a meal for 30 – 35 residents and to sit down and share the meal with them.

In addition, we are seeking 5 pairs of: 1 Maplewood Student and 1 parent/Guardian to serve the meal and do the clean up. The site will provide all utensils and cleaning supplies. Since this is a limited opportunity please only commit if you’re sure you can fulfill the obligation. Please contact David Dacklin at dacklind@aol.com or 503-244-5938 if you’d like your student or family this opportunity to give back and give thanks. The Goose Hollow Family Shelter is a homeless shelter for families with children in Southwest Portland. Their mission is to provide a temporary safe haven for homeless families, access to transitional services, and advocacy for social change that eliminates homelessness.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: PPS SCHOOLS CELEBRATE! – Interested in looking at school options for middle school, or want to find out about our kindergarten program? These are just some of the reasons to go to this annual event, where all schools and programs will have an information table. Where? - At the Portland Expo Center from 10 to 3 on Saturday, Feb. 2^nd. Maplewood will have a table there, as well, hosted by myself and some of our staff, to give information about our programs here. Free childcare is provided for kids 4 and over. Go to http://www.pps.k12.or.us or call 503-916.6308 for more information.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: FAMILY MATH NIGHT! - Do you like mathematics? Do you wish you knew more about the mathematics your children are learning? You’ll enjoy our activities on Tuesday, Feb. 5^th starting at 6:00 p.m. in our gym, where you’ll hear about the foundations of our math curriculum, and get a chance to have your children work on some math activities with you! Please bring the whole family!

KNOW SOMEONE INTERESTED IN KINDERGARTEN HERE NEXT FALL? – Pass the word that we are going to host our annual Kindergarten Information Session/Round-Up on Thursday, Feb. 7^th at 3:00 (for adults). We’ll discuss what types of Kindergarten we will offer and give valuable information on our curriculum and approaches to a well-rounded education. It is a huge help to the parents, and to me, to have as many parents know about this as possible!

LIBRARY NEWS -

OPAC - You now have access to the Maplewood Library Catalog on line! Our Online Patron Access Catalog can be located at http://library.pps.k12.or.us (make sure to select "Maplewood" in place of "View Entire Collection".) Not all of of the features work yet, but you can see what materials we have! It's much easier for students to search and find things independently in the library, too.

BOB - Battle of the Books is gearing up again! This year third graders, in addition to fourth and fifth graders, have been invited to participate. Ask you child if they are interested. All classes third through fifth graders received an introduction to the program this week and last. A sign-up sheet will be sent home in the next week. Parents are encouraged to read the selected titles (16) aloud at home! The first battles will begin in February. The first statewide/regional battle is March 1!

Shelving Books - As always, I can use more volunteers to help re-shelve the books our students check out. Each week approximately 1,000 books are checked out and returned. Thanks to a steady crew of parents (thank you!) we are able to keep the library organized and keep favorite titles on the shelves. Even shelving only five to ten books makes a dent!

Lost Items/Late Items - Books are due weekly. Students wishing to renew books should bring them to the library for renewal weekly. If you lose or damage a book, please contact me (kordahl@pps.k12.or.us, 503-916-6308). Fees are negotiable and I'm mostly just pleased to hear from you.

Portaportal - Remember that students can use the websites they access at school at home. Visit www.portaportal.com and enter "elin" as the Guest Name. The new popular vocabulary-building site (Freerice.com) is on there, too!

As always, your children are a pleasure to work with. Their enthusiasm for reading and books is unbounded. -Elin Kordahl, Maplewood Media Specialist

MAPLEWOOD GREEN SCHOOL - Our students were very persistent, and creative, in their desire to make our school community be environmentally responsible. Their efforts last year helped our school be awarded a Green School designation. Their efforts will continue in January, with an energy challenge (to help our school keep our energy costs down), and with efforts to reduce the paper and copying costs for us. Congratulations to the students for this, as well as the incredibly successful Battery Recycling project coordinated by Mr. Novitsky’s class!

SIGN DESIGN HELP NEEDED -The PTA has graciously set aside money to help build a new, improved front yard sign for the school. They could use some help with the coordination of the design and future installation; know anyone out there with some talent to offer their efforts? If so, please contact me, or the PTA!

Upcoming Events:

Dec 24 thru

Jan 4 WINTER BREAK!! – NO SCHOOL

Jan 7 - Welcome Back!!

Jan 10 - PTA Meeting – 6:15 pm

Jan 15 - Site Council Meeting – 2:30 pm

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

Jan 25 - Winter Family Art Night – 6:30 pm

Feb 1 - Professional Development Day – NO SCHOOL

Feb 5 - Family Math Night

Feb 7 - Kindergarten Info Session – 3:00 pm

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!!!