 CALENDAR
| 9/1 |
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Grades 1-5 Community Meeting
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| 9/2 |
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First Day of School! Grades 1-5
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| 9/7 |
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Labor Day! School closed |
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| 9/8 |
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First Day of School! Kindergarten
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| 9/14 |
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Online classes begin |
9/16 |
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Conversations about Race Welcome Meeting |
9/21-22 |
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Pastini Pastathon |
9/24 |
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PTA Community Meeting followed Board Meeting |
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 LUNCH
Our summer meal service ends Thursday, August 20, and we will restart meal service on the first day of the new school year, Wednesday, September 2:
- Where: Meals will be available for pickup outside 38 schools. Click here to see the full list of schools/sites.
- When: Mondays and Wednesdays, 3 to 5 p.m.
- Other details: Students will receive five days’ worth of meals each week. On Monday, they will get breakfast and lunch for Monday and Tuesday; on Wednesday, they will get meals for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
We will have more information on this, along with an updated list of CEP schools for 2020-21, in the coming days. If you have questions, please contact us at nutritionservices@pps.net or call 503-916-3399.
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Details of the Soft Start Schedule for 09/02-09/11
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Our soft start schedule for 09/02-09/11 will focus on building relationships with families and students; time to learn platforms; time to build community. The teacher’s daily class schedules are listed below:
Grades K & 3 (K begins 9/8)
8:00am Social-emotional activity/Class Meeting teachers will send out google invites for this meeting.
8:30am Seesaw Practice Lesson
10-11:30am Teachers will be reaching out to families
Grades 1 & 4
8:30am Social-emotional activity/Class Meeting teachers will send out google invites for this meeting.
9:00am Seesaw Practice Lesson
10-11:30am Teachers will be reaching out to families
Grades 2 & 5
9:00am Social-emotional activity/Class Meeting teachers will send out google invites for this meeting.
9:30am Seesaw Practice Lesson
10-11:30am Teachers will be reaching out to families
We realize many of you will need chromebooks and clever badges for your students to participate. The distribution and familiarization of these materials is part of the soft start process. Details about chromebook pick-ups and clever badge mailings are listed below. Teachers are aware of the distribution schedule for chromebooks and clever badges and will not mark your student down for not being able to participate in the first part of the soft start because of lack of tools. Please reach out to your students’ teacher if your student will be absent due to the lack of tools or for any other reason. The list of students needing chromebooks has been shared with your students’ teachers.
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Upcoming Community Meeting
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We would like to invite you to our upcoming community meetings. We will have one for our incoming Kindergarten families and one for grades 1-5.
Grades 1-5 Community Meeting
Sept. 1, 2020 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
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Join with Google Meet meet.google.com/uwy-rqbe-vqh
Or join by phone (US) +1 252-656-5112 (PIN: 184158399)
Purpose of the Grades 1-5 Community Meeting:
To create ongoing open lines of communication between the staff and the greater Abernethy parent community
o Supports community
o Provides transparency
o Grows a culture of inclusion
o Fosters our Abernethy family, even in distance learning
We hope to see all your smiling faces there as we discuss our upcoming school year. Plan to receive daily schedules by grade level. Core instruction components will be shared.
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Hello everyone!
We hope you are well and enjoying the last few days of this unusual summer. We know this has been a challenging and unsettling time for everyone and we want to continue to recognize the disruption and harm it has caused for many families in the Abernethy community. We wanted to give a quick update about some behind-the-scenes work that has been going on.
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Members of the PTA Board, including the Presidents, VP and Equity Committee have been meeting with Dr. Petersen regularly throughout the summer to hear updates about planning for next year. As you can imagine, there is a lot of information regarding the fall they are nearly ready to share. But they have been working diligently on distilling the constructive feedback that parents have given about spring term distance learning and have worked hard to create a better model. They have used it to create some best practices and will be working with teachers to develop a plan that is best for the kids. Sometimes it will be what parents want. Sometimes not. But it's what they, as educators, recommend for our kids to have success in this very different environment. It will take all of us working together to make the best of this situation.
After each meeting with the school leadership, we feel more reassured knowing they are working so hard with one thing at the top of their priorities...our kids and their short and long term success. The administration and teachers are not only thinking about what needs to happen tomorrow, but for the rest of the year and next year and how to get long term planning in place to get all the kids back on track for their grade level.
ROOM PARENTS: We parents are going to need to have a partnership with the teachers like we never have before. They need us and we need them to make this work. And we are going to have to figure some of it out as we go along. But if we can keep a growth mindset and show some grit, we can get through this together. One way PTA can support our families is through Room Parents in each classroom. This role will be critical to build community this year. Please look for more information after Sept 2 on how to volunteer.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES: The district is creating school supply kits called “ Home Classroom Kits”. These will include normal classroom supplies, but also critical items that students will need for rich instruction at home that allows them to do activities away from the computer screen (e.g. math manipulatives and art supplies). PPS is working with a vendor who can sell directly to families who have the financial resources and also do a bulk sale to our warehouse as we identify funding opportunities to cover the cost for families who are not able to afford them. The vendor also has the option to allow parents to buy one and share one, so families who wanted could purchase a Gift Home Classroom Kit that would be shipped to the warehouse and PPS would be able to deliver it to families who need support. Please watch for information from PPS about these supplies. We are unsure of the contents of the kits and may need additional supplies at a later date. If you would like financial assistance purchasing supplies, please reach out to Jenny Morgan at jmorgan1@pps.net.
CORONA VIRUS RELIEF FUND: Finally, this is a challenging time for everyone, and unfortunately the disruption to education, the virus, and the economic downtown has had a disproportionate impact on our most vulnerable families. The PPS Corona Virus Relief Fund (https://fundforpps.org/cv19relief) is one way we can help our community. The PPS Corona Virus Relief Fund provides supports such as grocery gift cards and internet access to PPS families struggling due to COVID-19.
GOOGLE LIST SERVE: We encourage all families to sign up to the Abernethy list serv. This is a great way to stay connected to our community. To join, go to Google Groups, search for Abernethy Elementary School, and click Apply for Membership.
As always, feel free to email us at ptapresident@supportabernethy.org.
Thanks,
Rose Caudillo, PTA Co-President (Maria, 6th, Hosford + Luciana, 1st, Hurner)
Hanna Nesper Newell, PTA Co-President (Imogen, 5th, Hartmann + Isla, 2nd, Bielman)
Beth Burns, PTA Equity Chair (Huck, 2nd, Logan + Aurora, K, Nordstrom)
Paul Coleman, PTA Vice President (Paco, 5th, Scholten, Casper, 2nd, Buetler, Sebastian, pre-k)
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If your student is going into Kinder or you have requested a Chromebook for your 1-5th grade student the dates/times for pick up start this Friday. They can be picked up 9/4 and 9/8-9/11 from 10:30am-2:30pm in the back of the building by the covered area.
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Parents who emailed a request to reserve a Chromebook for their 1-5th grader received a confirmation email from edarling@pps.net on Friday. If you need a Chromebook for your 1-5 student and have not reserved one or did not get a confirmation email on Friday, please email edarling@pps.net right away. We will be prepping them for distribution early this week.
If you have a broken device or need to return one this will be a good time to do this as well.
They need to be signed out to a Parent or Guardian and you will need to bring photo ID.
If you are not able to come during these times, please email Elise Darling at edarling@pps.net so we can set up alternate plans.
Please come alone, wear a mask and comply with all social distancing guidelines.
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Fall 2020 Enrollment and Transfer FAQ
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Do you have questions about enrollment or transfer options in this distance learning environment? Click here for a list of Frequently Asked Questions from PPS.
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Student Belongings Pick Up
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Students belongings not picked up last spring will be available for pick up 9/4 and 9/8-9/11 from 10:30am-2:30pm in the back of the building by the covered area.
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If you have a student who is in grades K-2, we have mailed you their clever badge. The clever badge is to be used as a logon for their online learning portal instructions have been included. The mailing went to the post office Friday so expect to see them this week. If you registered after August 24 those mailers are going out this week, so you may not see them until next week. You will also be getting a digital copy in your email over the next couple weeks.
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Yearly Verification Form - Now Online!
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(Formerly our annual paper verification process.)
Each year parents and/or guardians are asked to review and update the information on file for their children (students). This information can be reviewed, edited and submitted online via PPS ParentVUE. https://www.pps.net/Page/2341
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Let’s Get Reading! At Abernethy
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The Abernethy Let’s Get Reading! program will launch 9/8. The goal of this program is to get physical books in students’ hands throughout distance learning (hooray books!). Bags of “Librarian’s Choice” books will be waiting for students picking up chromebooks and other materials during soft start. Following the soft start, the pick-up area by the cafeteria door will be open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 11-12:30.
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“Librarian’s Choice” bags will always be available, but if anyone is hoping to make specific requests look for the Let’s Get Reading! Book Request Form (requests are not guaranteed, but we will do our best). The form and a Q&A sheet about the program can be found on the Abernethy website under “Library.”
Also, if you have books to return, the red return bin has been temporarily relocated outside, under the awning, by the kindergarten classrooms.
Let’s Get Reading!
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Greetings from your Abernethy counseling team
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Dear Abernethy Families,
Greetings from your Abernethy counseling team - which is currently one person, but very soon will be two. We are happy to report that we have additional counseling FTE this school year, going 1.5 FTE to 2.0 FTE. Shannon Nicolas fulfilled a career goal by transferring to a school with secondary students, Vernon. We wish her well! Very soon we will be announcing the new 1.0 counselor.
We worked with many families during spring distance learning, connecting them with support and resources. We will continue that work this year and ask that if your family is in need of support, that you complete this survey. If there is something you need that is not on this form, please email me at jmorgan1@pps.net.
If you want to provide assistance:
· You can donate to the PPS fund: https://fundforpps.org/. This will help students all across the district access food and essential items.
· Additionally, if you would like to provide help to Abernethy families who may not qualify for the PPS fund, you can contact Jenny Morgan for how to donate a gift card to Fred Meyer or another grocery store.
I miss seeing your children and hope you are all staying healthy. Please reach out to me with any questions.
Sincerely,
Jenny Morgan jmorgan1@pps.net
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If you have a tutor for your student please read below.
Due to student and family privacy laws and liability, it will be the parents' responsibility to show tutors the weekly newsletter they have been given by the teachers to use to support their children's learning for Comprehensive Distance Learning. Parents can provide information to tutors about how to access student classes, but we are not able to provide that information.
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Free and Reduced Lunch Benefits
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Please be advised that the eligibility requirements have changed for the application for Free and Reduced Lunch Benefits and more families will qualify. Here is the link https://www.pps.net/Page/2464.
Please refer to the district email from Nutrition Services from 8/19 for more details.
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School Supplies for 2020-2021
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Wondering about school supplies for 2020-2021? Teachers and staff are working on the best way to provide supplies for students. We will have information on this within the first couple weeks of school.
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We are very excited to see students (virtually) this week! The start of the school year can be a bit overwhelming in normal circumstances, and we know that the pandemic means a number of additional variables to navigate this year, including technology.
We invite all families to visit pps.net/fall2020 to access a full set of orientation videos and other resources, translated into our district-supported languages, to help you better understand the learning platforms students and teachers will use this fall. You will also find information on how to log on to the platforms, how to connect to the internet and other helpful tips.
If you or your student is still struggling with any of the aspects of learning technology, we hope you will call the PPS Technology Help Desk, which is open from 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on school days. We will answer your questions and share information and helpful tips about anything related to distance learning technology. The Technology Help Desk is available in all PPS-supported languages. Email support@pps.net or call us:
- English: 503-916-3375
- Español: 503-916-3582
- 中文：503-916-3585
- Tiếng Việt: 503-916-3584
- Soomaali: 503-916-3586
- Русский: 503-916-3583
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Changes to Online Meeting Platforms
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One of the changes your student will notice from PPS HD last spring: schools and students are allowed to use Zoom during the instructional day. Google Meet is still available and teachers can continue using that tool. The choice will be up to the teacher as to which software they would like to use to hold their virtual classrooms in.
We want to remind you that Portland Public Schools is committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students. No personal information about students is shared with or accessible by those outside the learning community. Although online lessons will be recorded to provide asynchronous learning opportunities to students, teachers will keep personally identifiable information from being disclosed during these recordings. Online student participation and work is closely monitored by the assigning teacher. Parents should also closely monitor online content and maintain full access to the login and password information of their student’s accounts.
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Updates from Portland Public Schools
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Fall 2020: Update for August 28
August 28, 2020
English | Español | Tiếng Việt | 中文 | Русский | Soomaali
Dear PPS Families,
As we continue to prepare for next week’s start to the 2020-21 school year, we have a few updates and reminders from messages you should have received earlier this week. As always, you can visit pps.net/fall2020 to find the latest information and resources.
As you know, following guidance from health officials and Gov. Brown, academic instruction will be online from the first day of school, September 2, through at least November 5. We will continue to send updates on a weekly basis. As we approach the first day of school next Wednesday, we will share important, time-sensitive information in regards to how your child will start school through a number of channels, including both email and text messaging. If you have not already opted to receive texts from PPS Communications, you can do so by texting “Yes” or “Y” to 68453. Please note that PPS Communications uses text messaging on a limited basis.
On Tuesday evening, our Chief of Schools, Dr. Shawn Bird presented sample instructional schedules to the Board of Education. Here you can find those schedules and you should expect to receive specific school schedules from your student’s principal.
A reminder that our first two weeks of school (September 2-11) will follow the “soft start” schedule focusing on connection, which can be found by clicking here.
We know students, coaches and families are wondering about a possible return of athletics. We are working diligently to determine when we can safely introduce some form of distanced, outdoor training as a first step. We expect to have more information about athletics within the next week. We will also update you soon on potential plans for other small-group opportunities on campus as fall progresses, when COVID-19 numbers improve and we identify ways to safely adhere to evolving guidance from the Oregon Department of Education. Throughout all of this planning, we will prioritize the health and wellness of our students and staff.
Finally, we will share our comprehensive list of student and family supports with you next early week. This will include comprehensive services and programs provided by our culturally specific community partners. Those services and programs extend from academic supports and enrichment and extended day programming, to social and emotional supports and family resources. The full menu, with school-by-school options, will be released and sent to you by Tuesday.
It has been a busy summer and we know, for many, a challenging one. While the start of this school year will look different than ever before, we are very eager to begin and we look forward to connecting with students this week. Have a great weekend.
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