MLC Weekly News and Notes

Hello, MLC community. We are definitely starting to get back into the swing of things! Classes are buzzing with energy as we prepare for Solstice and jump back into academics and class projects. Here are a few top reminders for this week:

School picture retakes are December 12th after lunch.

Solstice is this Friday 12/15! Please read for more details below.

With the first week of winter break being converted to instructional days, there are many families struggling with plans that were already made...us included! Please let us know in THIS SURVEY if you are planning for your student to be out for any days that week to help us properly plan and staff.

Those dates are December 18th-22nd.

There is a parent survey we would LOVE for you to take to help us with accreditation! Details are below.

Best,

Suezann & Darren

Picture below:

Our amazing RJ Coordinator (Beriah) spends lunch recess getting his cardio in by playing tag everyday with students!

MLC Calendar website link

Monday December11th

No Place For Hate lunch group with Beriah & Ethan

Tuesday December 12th

Students of Color lunch group 6x12 with Alberti

Picture Retakes (after lunch)

Wednesday December 13th

Thursday December 14th

SAGA lunch group 7x12 with Erewyn

MLC tour with new prospective families

Friday December 15th

Solstice!!

Coming soon:

December 18th-22nd - Make up instructional days

December 25-January -1st - Winter Break

January 2nd - Welcome back to school!

It's Solstice time!!! The entire K-12 will gather as each class performs, watches and enjoys being together. Because this will involve our entire K-12 - students and staff - we will be packed into the space. For this reason - This performance will be live streamed and parents are welcome to come watch in the cafeteria space or from anywhere you like! Parents are also invited to join outside on the blacktop after the performance for cake and drumming.

Details:

Friday December 15th

For students:

The Solstice performance will start around 10:15-10:30 (exact time will be released next week after we time the acts!) Teachers and staff will support students with this event in the auditorium.

For parents that want to join:

We will have a live feed to the cafeteria for parents that want to join. For those that want to see the event at home/later - The recorded show will be available on the website when it is uploaded later. :)

After the performance inside, parents are invited to join students out on the blacktop - around 11:15 am.

Parking will be on the street. We will be using the entire space for our drum circle, solstice treats and space for students. At 11:50 - Students will be returning to their classrooms before the end of the day to take attendance. Parents cannot leave with their student from the celebration. The MUST go back inside with their teacher for regular release. This is to ensure safety for all students.

Thank you for your help to make this a wonderful and safe event for our students!

The MLC support team is hosting an ALL NEW Holiday Gift Drive to support our MLC families in need this giving season!! If your family would like to purchase a holiday gift for a child in need in our school community please check out our Gift Wish List. You can either have it sent to you and you can wrap it and bring it to the school (just write what the gift is on an attached note and then Clement will match it with the family), or you can have it sent directly to Clement at MLC and they will wrap it up and deliver it to the family. Please have the gifts here by Wednesday 12/20 so the support team can distribute on Thursday and Friday before they leave for break

If your family would like some support this holiday season, please request a gift for your kid(s) by filling out this form ASAP so you can be added to the list.

MLC Teachers & Staff Holiday Gifts of Gratitude: CONTRIBUTIONS REQUESTED

‘Tis the season to show our MLC teachers and staff how grateful we are for their hard work and big hearts! Each year, members of the PTSA reach out to MLC families to ask for donations to put into gift bags for the staff of MLC to thank them for all they do for our children. While individuals may still choose to gift to specific teachers and staff, it is important to us that we ensure EVERY staff member receives a small token of appreciation from MLC families.

If you have the ability to contribute, please check out our MLC Teachers & Staff Holiday Gifts of Gratitude spreadsheet and enter in what you are able to give so we can keep track. The spreadsheet includes information about what we are looking to put into packages for each teacher/staff member. The themes hopefully make it easy for parents to determine how they’d like to support and allow staff to choose a package based on their interests. Our goal is to support local businesses in the process, especially those near the school who in return support MLC.

Please drop off your contribution to Kathleen in the front office by the end of the school day on Friday, December 15th, and we will collect, assemble and distribute the bags before winter break. Email Sierra or Chenney with any questions or if you’d like to help!

It's Time for the MLC Holiday Meal Fund!

The Holiday Meal Fund supports members of our school community. Food scarcity, housing insecurity, financial stress, and other obstacles to learning are faced daily by MLC students and their families.

The Holiday Meal Fund is managed separately from the PTSA general funds. While it is not tax deductible, we are able to provide this directly to MLC families through the MLC Support Team. Your gift will allow MLC families to purchase food and other necessities for the holiday season and throughout the year!

Click HERE to donate to the MLC Holiday Meal Fund.

If you need assistance or would like to request a grocery card for your family, please fill out this form to contact MLC's Social Worker Clement Wislon and the MLC Support Team.

We also want to give a huge shout out to our local Trader Joe's, who has agreed to sponsor our Meal Fund again this year with a gift card drive! Please show them some love when you're in the neighborhood!

Next Adventure Holiday Giveback Campaign!

Local outdoor store Next Adventure is launching a brand new website. To celebrate they are running a “Giveback Campaign” during the month of December and they have chosen MLC PTSA as one of their beneficiaries! 10% of your online purchase amount will be donated to our PTSA for all purchases using our unique code MLC23. Please consider supporting Next Adventure for any of your outdoor gear needs…it’s a win-win!

Please note that this is NOT a discount code, just a code that a customer can put in to show which organization they want Next Adventure to support. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other codes.

BottleDrop: ONGOING FUNDRAISER

BottleDrop is the most convenient way to recycle your Oregon beverage containers and an easy way for you to help fundraise for our school! Grab one of our MLC labeled BottleDrop blue bags from the front office at MLC to collect your redeemable containers in, then drop them off at one of the BottleDrop bag collection points. MLC does not have space to store full bags, so please drop them off at one of these locations near MLC or find another convenient location HERE.

• Trader Joe's - NW Glisan and 21st

• Fred Meyer - NW Burnside and 20th

• New Season's - NW Raleigh and 22nd

Contact Adam Perryman with questions or to get more bags.

MLC PTSA Annual Auction Committee: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are gearing up for our annual auction, and we need your help to make it a spectacular success! The auction is our largest fundraiser and community building event of the year. It will take place in the spring and typically includes dinner and drinks, a wine wall, 50/50 raffle, entertainment, a silent auction, and a live auction (including classroom art projects). Proceeds help pay for classroom supplies, school community-building events, field trips, student scholarships, and much more.

We are currently assembling our Auction Planning Committee and are on the lookout for enthusiastic volunteers with a diverse range of skills. Whether you're a master organizer, a creative mind, or just someone who loves bringing people together, we want YOU on our team! This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute your unique talents and ideas to create an unforgettable event for our school community. Take on as little or as much as you can! The time commitment is flexible, and we appreciate any amount of time you can spare.

Key roles and responsibilities include:

• Procurement of sponsorships and auction items

• Sourcing event needs such as catering and entertainment

• Coordinating buy-in parties

• Coordinating class projects

• Designing the website and promotional materials

• Data entry

• …and most importantly, serving as thought partners to ensure we plan a fun and inclusive community-building event that doesn't feel like a stereotypical stogy fundraiser gala.

Please email Auction Chair Sierra Stringfield Perryman for more information and/or to join the team!

Get Involved with our MLC Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA)!.

The PTSA’s role is more important than ever in these post-pandemic and post-strike times as we work to foster connections for parents, teachers, students, and staff, as well as to support critical school needs. Join us to grow your village and advocate for our students and community! Sign up or renew your MLC PTSA Membership HERE to become a voting member, though anyone is welcome to volunteer, contribute, and attend meetings.

Support from families is vital to ensuring the MLC magic we’ve come to know and love can continue! Participation in PTSA can involve as much or as little time as you have to offer and your level of commitment is up to you. There is no right or wrong way to be involved and ALL are welcome. Whether you can share your time or your money and whether it’s a one time contribution or an ongoing commitment, it all adds up.

There are numerous opportunities to participate such as volunteering at cherished MLC events, coordinating community-building activities, assisting with fundraising efforts, helping show appreciation to our staff, or having your business collaborate with us on a mutually beneficial partnership.

Please fill out our 2023-24 MLC PTSA Volunteer Opportunities form to learn more about how you can become involved. You may also reach out to Volunteer Coordinator Sierra Stringfield Perryman with any questions or suggestions.

MLC is going through school accreditation...what does this mean?

Accreditation is the recognition from an accrediting agency that an institution maintains a certain level of educational standards. All schools must go through this process every 4-6 years. Due to Covid and many changes in MLC leadership....we are overdue! This process is a perfect opportunity to reflect on our practices and the success of our students while getting much needed stakeholder feedback. With that...we are asking for our parent community to help us out!

HERE is a short survey we will use to collect extremely useful data. It will remain open until November 1st. We would LOVE to have your voice! Thank you!

Families, please help out the library by searching your home, car, backpacks, backyards, under the beds, and anywhere else that your student might have stashed a book. Your student is welcome to keep books they are still using, but please help them bring back anything they are done with so that it can be used by others. Thank you so much for your support on getting these books returned!

- Molly and Tim

Exploring school options to determine the best fit for a student can be both exciting and anxiety producing. We believe getting to actually see the surrounding location and have a guided tour of the building can be very helpful in this decision-making process. To accommodate the numerous requests for tours, we offer a monthly tour for up to 10 interested families on the second Thursday of each month at 4:00 pm and will last approximately 45-60 minutes.

December 14

February 8

March 14

April 11

May 9

Please email Benner, our 7-12 counselor to initiate the sign up process or if you have any questions. gbenner@pps.net

When the lottery dates are announced we will also host an evening open house event for families. Please check our website for updates.

Check out the upcoming round of career related learning opportunities for high school students. Click here for a current list of PPS and partner offerings. Students sign up independently and would need to provide their own transportation.

--

Tanya Leib

Career and Community Partnerships Coordinator

(she/ her)

MLC’s Work Based Learning Program is an experiential opportunity for our high school students to learn outside of the classroom. Through service learning, internships, and other career related learning opportunities, students pursue meaningful community service and career exploration. We couldn't run this program without the support of our community. Please take a moment to let us know if you're able to share your time, skills and experience with our students.

FORM

Questions? Reach out to Tanya Lieb!

tleib@pps.net

MLC Families - Please fill out this Request Form if you would like support accessing field trip scholarships, school supplies, grocery support, mental health referrals, etc! More detailed info is located on the form.

Social Work Wish list

Staff Wish List

Hello, all. Although we have seen some pretty cute pups, we have to make sure student safety comes first. Please do not bring dogs onto the blacktop during drop off or pick up. There are areas - a dog area in Couch Park! - that are close by and fun for a pup to hang out.

Thank you for your support in helping ALL of our students feel safe at school.

Parent Vue

School Pay - Set up your account today!

Attendance Line 503-916-3656

Do you wonder what's going on in the Kx12 Art Room? Art teacher Ned and his students are posting their creations and flops on Instagram at studio_mlc !