FLEXIBLE WORK ARRANGEMENTS

In response to the pandemic, more than 300 employees requested and were approved for flexible work arrangements (FWAs) for this school year related to their own health concerns, health concerns or other risk factors of a family member, or based on childcare needs.  All FWAs were revisited as part of our reopening of schools this spring because the district considers in-person attendance at school an essential function of all school-based positions.  Any FWAs that are continuing this spring shall remain in effect only for the 2020-21 school year.  As we move towards a “normal” school year in the fall, we do not expect to have the same level of flexibility with staff schedules and other work arrangements. 

The health and safety of our staff and students remain our highest priority, and we continue to adhere to applicable federal, state, and local health and safety guidance for physical distancing, hygiene measures, and workplace configurations.

Open Enrollment is your annual opportunity to update your benefits.  This is the perfect time to:

• Assess your current benefit elections
• Compare and evaluate other benefit options available to you
• Assess your health care needs for the upcoming year

As a reminder, the district is offering a series of support and healing sessions for BIPOC staff that are being hosted by Blanca Santiago, LCSW.  There are sessions scheduled for both May and June. These sessions are intended to provide our BIPOC staff a safe space for connection and support. Use this link to register for the BIPOC staff support sessions.

We are also continuing to offer staff reflection sessions for the Educators of Color Report. All staff are encouraged to participate in these sessions, organized by the research team to talk about the contents of the report. Please use this link to register for the Educators of Color Report reflection sessions. Additional sessions will be added by the team if there is an ongoing demand.

JOIN A WELLNESS GROUP!

Add some socializing, learning, and fun to your day by joining a free Portland Public Schools wellness group:

• Friday Pickleball with Bob Carroll:  CLICK HERE 

• Friday Walking Group with Melissa Blanchard:  CLICK HERE

• Monday Walking Group with Mary Khula:  CLICK HERE

• Monday/Thursday Book Group with Isabelle Weyl:  CLICK HERE

• Tuesday/Thursday Mindfulness/Meditation with Jake Kulaw:  CLICK HERE

• Mindfulness Yoga with Kay Kerina:  CLICK HERE 

• Cardio HIIT Yoga sessions Kay Kerina:  CLICK HERE

Read more about each of these activities below.

Come join the fun on Fridays at 4:00 at the Lyman Moore Middle School courts.  Nets and paddles will be available.

Contact group leader Bob Carroll with any questions at:  carrob@portlandschools.org

⇒ Sign up for Pickleball with Bob:  CLICK HERE

We will meet every Friday at 6:00 PM at the Back Bay (a.k.a. Back Cove) in the parking lot across Preble Street from the big Hannaford Supermarket.  Look for my Hyundai Tucson mid-size SUV, silver/grey color with animal adopt license plates.

I’ve created signup slots for 100 people, but if we need more, I can add more.  Wishful thinking!  Looking forward to walking with you after work, starting on Friday, May 14.

⇒ Sign up for Friday Walking Group with Melissa:  CLICK HERE

A compulsively listenable debut novel about marriage, immigration, class, race, and the trapdoors in the American dream - the unforgettable story of a young Cameroonian couple making a new life in New York just as the Great Recession upends the economy.  Named one of BuzzFeed's "Incredible New Books You Need to Read This Summer."

Jende Jonga, a Cameroonian immigrant living in Harlem, has come to the United States to provide a better life for himself, his wife, Neni, and their six-year-old son.  In the fall of 2007, Jende can hardly believe his luck when he lands a job as a chauffeur for Clark Edwards, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers.  Clark demands punctuality, discretion, and loyalty - and Jende is eager to please.  Clark's wife, Cindy, even offers Neni temporary work at the Edwardses' summer home in the Hamptons.  With these opportunities, Jende and Neni can at last gain a foothold in America and imagine a brighter future.

However, the world of great power and privilege conceals troubling secrets, and soon Jende and Neni notice cracks in their employers' façades.  When the financial world is rocked by the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the Jongas are desperate to keep Jende's job - even as their marriage threatens to fall apart.  As all four lives are dramatically upended, Jende and Neni are forced to make an impossible choice.

⇒ Sign up for Book Group with Isabelle:  CLICK HERE

Meet your yoga instructor, Kaylin Kerina, coming to us from Deering High School!

⇒ Sign up for Mindfulness Yoga sessions:  CLICK HERE 

OUTDOOR LEARNING SUMMER PD OPPORTUNITIES

If interested, reach out to Brooke Teller to discuss SCHs for these courses.

Juniper Hill School,  4-day educator workshop June 21-24, 2021 Teaching with Nature II: Social-Emotional Learning and Nature Connection 

STAFF FEEDBACK ON THE EQUITY POLICY

A LETTER TO AMERICA’S TEACHERS FROM SECRETARY CARDONA 

'I never could predict what might happen in Mr. O’Neil’s art classes; I just knew I couldn’t wait for the next assignment.  Back then I didn’t realize all the ways this dynamic educator, a rare man of color leading our diverse classroom of second graders, was serving as a pioneer and role model for me and my peers in John Barry Elementary School.  But I’ll never forget how his teaching made me feel.  As a second grader, I remember looking up — watching him encourage, challenge and guide us – and thinking: “I want to be like him...”