The Cheetah Coalition #25
Weekly Updates from the Atkinson Office — 3/15/24
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Atkinson Families,
Last week, I shared with you information about district level cuts to next year's student supports and programs HERE. I also shared upcoming advocacy and fundraising efforts that could mitigate these cuts. On Thursday, at 6:30 p.m. online, I will review and explain these in a presentation and take questions and comments from parents. Please join me to get informed and add your voice to the conversation (GOOGLE MEET LINK HERE).
Upcoming opportunities to talk with me:
- Thursday, March 21 — Evening Online Meet-Up with the Principal, 6:30 p.m.
- Monday, April 8 — Pre-PTA Online Q&A Principal, 6 p.m.
- ZOOM LINK, Meeting ID: 826 3970 7216 Passcode: 152661
- Monday, April 8 — PTA Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
- ZOOM LINK, Meeting ID: 826 3970 7216 Passcode: 152661
- Thursday, April 11 — Principal's Coffee in English, 8:50 a.m.
- Thursday, April 11 — Evening Online Meet-Up with the Principal, 6:30 p.m.
- Friday, April 12 — Principal's Coffee in Spanish, 8:50 a.m.
Thank you and have a wonderful, sunny weekend!
Debbie Armendariz
Principal
Atkinson Elementary School
COUNSELOR & SOCIAL WORKER CORNER
Attendance
Atkinson misses your student when they are not here! Please send your student(s) to school every day they don't have exclusionary symptoms.
Middle School Transition Information
- Harrison Park Middle School Incoming 6th Grade Open House will be held on Tuesday, April 16 at 6 p.m. This will be the BEST opportunity for families to see the school, so we recommend attending. They have offered students and families a Google Form where you can submit any questions. They will use the form to create an FAQ sheet that will be shared out.
- Kellogg Middle School will be hosting a visit for fifth grade students on Thursday, April 11 from 9:45 a.m.–11m a.m. Students will take buses there and be supervised. This visit will include a welcome performance, information on Kellogg and elective classes, a student panel Q & A, and a student led tour.
- Kellogg will have a parent event scheduled for later in the year. We will provide information for that once it’s received.
March Value: Collaboration
The value spotlight for this month is Collaboration!
Classroom Lessons: Friendship/Healthy Relationships
In March, students will receive a social-emotional classroom lesson on the topic of friendship, differentiated by grade level.
Student Store
Thanks so much to all the families who have donated items to the student store! Donations are greatly appreciated and will be accepted all year.
PLEASE DON'T SEND TOYS TO SCHOOL
LUNCH VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AFTER SPRING BREAK
We are in need of new parent volunteers to serve lunch to students on Thursdays for both first lunch (11:35 a.m.–12 p.m.) and second lunch (12:05–12:30 p.m.) after spring break. Are you willing and able to help us? You get a free lunch and get to see all the adorable children in the lunch line!
NEW SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING CURRICULUM
In the next couple of weeks, Atkinson staff will be selecting a new Social Emotional Learning Curriculum for next year. Two programs have been approved and staff will be selecting one to implement next year. You can read about them HERE. You can add your voice by completing this survey:
LAST DAY FOR LOTTERY!
TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO APPLY FOR THE KINDERGARTEN SPANISH IMMERSION LOTTERY!
There is a known issue where if you register in ParentVUE for kindergarten before you submit your lottery application, you will not be able to complete the lottery application until your kinder registration is accepted by the neighborhood school. If this applies to you, please do one of the following:
- Contact the neighborhood school to accept the registration and then submit the lottery application by the end of day today.
- Complete the paper application which we can provide in the office by the end of the day today.
If possible, please apply for lottery first, and wait to register at your neighborhood school until after you receive the lottery result. Contact the school office with questions!
SEED SURVEY
Between March 13 and April 4, PPS students in grades 3–11 will be asked to take a short 10–15 minute survey developed by the Oregon Department of Education called the Student Educational Equity Development (SEED) Survey.
The survey is designed to capture students’ sense of belonging and experience at school. It also asks students about their experiences in class, their access to resources, and what they have learned. Survey results are used to create more equitable learning experiences for students and to inform state and local education investment decisions.
Additional Helpful Information:
- Students can skip questions within the survey if they do not want to or cannot respond for any reason.
- The survey will be available for students experiencing significant cognitive disabilities that captures the same information with the support of a teacher or staff member.
- Parents or students can decline participation. The simplest way to decline is to have the student start the survey and answer “no” to the first question, which is “Do you want to participate in this survey?” Parents can also decline by completing the form located at the bottom of our SEED Survey web page.
100th DAY OF SCHOOL!
It was so fun to see students dressed up for the 100th day of school!
ATKINSON GEAR - SALE THIS WEEKEND!
Don't forget to buy your Atkinson gear HERE. Spring sale this weekend — $13 t-shirts!
DÍA DE LOS NIÑOS — SUPPORT NEEDED!
Día de los Niños is a special day dedicated to the celebration of how playful, bright, imaginative, and curious children are and the joy that they bring to the world. We need your support to make this happen. Your support matters!
- Be a Volunteer: We are still looking for a few more volunteers with these activities: Face Painting, Balloon Animals and Snow Cones.
- Donate Money: Help us raise $3,000!
- Donate Items: If you prefer to donate a specific item, we have a list of items to choose from.
- Spread the Word: Ask your family and friends to help.
PTA NEWSLETTER
Read the latest PTA Newsletter HERE.
UPCOMING DATES TO KNOW
- Thursday, March 21 — Evening Online Meet-Up with the Principal, 6:30 p.m.
- Friday, March 22 — Amigos Meeting in the Cafeteria, 9 a.m.
- Week of March 25–29 — Spring Break, NO SCHOOL
- Friday, April 5 — Atkinson Family Game Night in the cafeteria, 6:30 p.m.
- Monday, April 8 — Pre-PTA Online Q&A Principal, 6 p.m.
- Monday, April 8 — PTA Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
- Thursday, April 11 — Principal's Coffee in English, 8:50 a.m.
- Thursday, April 11 — Evening Online Meet-Up with the Principal, 6:30 p.m.
- Friday, April 12 — Principal's Coffee in Spanish, 8:50 a.m.
- Tuesday, April 16 — Harrison Park Middle School Open House
- Friday, April 26 — Día de los Niños, 6—8 p.m.
- Friday, May 3 — Run for Atkinson Fundraiser
- Friday, June 7 — Cultural Night, 6—8 p.m.