Sitton Standard- March Edition

This Monday our school library was officially cleared to re-open. Portland Public Schools hired a private restoration company, Blue Sky Restoration, who arrived on site the day after the break in and stayed for two weeks meticulously cleaning the library and cafeteria. Every book in the library was boxed in order and cleaned by hand offsite. The library was then wiped down by hand and every surface was cleaned with a HEPA vacuum. The clean books were then brought back on site and re-shelved. We were out of the cafeteria for two days in total, and students and staff were flexible with having lunch in the playcourt! Special thanks to our nutritional services team, Ms. Quinn, our custodial staff Jesse and VanDamne as well as our Sitton volunteers for getting the library back in action as quickly and safely as possible.

This Spring and Summer, we will will be working to revitalize and modernize our library! Plans have been drawn up and PPS facilities and contractors have already been onsite to create a Summer work plan to move the circulation desk and create two functional and modern learning spaces in the library. Our PTA is fundraising and we are utilizing Donor's Choose to purchase all new flexible seating and modular furniture for our updated library. We will be sure to send out links and information to families to help support this project in the next few weeks! We truly appreciate your support.

Sitton Google Calendar Linked Here!

PPS Updated Calendar Linked Here

Updated Family Events Flier Linked Here

First Friday of every Month: First Friday Community Food Pantry from 1:30-3:30

Community Coffee at FirstDoor PDX this month is on March 14!

March

• 3/7 Spring Photos (optional for students)
• 3/14 Math Carnival and Pi Day****
• 3/18-4/1 Sitton Read-a-Thon
• 3/25-3/29 No School Spring Break

April

• Earth Day Celebration and Community Clean Up Day
• 4/5 No School- Grading Day
• 4/12 PTA Movie Night

May

• 5/2 Spring Arts Night** with performances for grades 3&4
• 5/6-5/10 Educator Appreciation Week
• 5/27 No School- Memorial Day

June

• 6/3-6/7 Spring Spirit Week
• 6/7 PTA Carnival After School
• 6/12: Field Day
• 6/14: 5th Grade Continuation ceremony and Kinder celebrations with performances for grades K & 5

****Event Includes Dinner

If you have change of plans for your student during the day, you can communicate in the following ways:

• Calling the main office

• Using remind or email to connect with the teacher ahead of time.

If we do not have communication from a parent or guardian regarding a change of plans, we cannot change the go-home plan for a student. When possible, please let us know in advance.

We will make every effort to get your student quickly should they need to leave early for an appointment. We know your time is valuable! Please be aware that during dismissal (2:00-2:15) the front office is quite busy and we may not be able to get students as quickly as during other times of the day. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

As you may have heard in the news recently, Portland Public Schools is facing significant budget cuts for next school year and beyond. Operating costs have risen significantly without a comparable increase in revenue and one-time pandemic relief funds (ESSR) are also ending this year. At the same time, enrollment has declined across the city resulting with roughly $30 million in cuts. The board has determined 15 million is being cut from central office operations and another 15 million is being reduced directly from schools for the 24-25 school year.

Like nearly all schools in the city, Sitton has also had declining enrollment, loosing about 5 students on average a year. In the 2017-2018 school year, nearly 370 students attended Sitton. This year our enrollment sits around 340. Our class sizes in English classes at 3rd and 4th grade this year have been under 16 students and next year those classes are combined at around 30 students in next year's 4th and 5th grade classes. We have lost two classroom positions for next year but will retain all of our additional mental health, special education, arts, music, PE, library and social work supports. If fourth and fifth grade classes taught in English next year exceed the class size recommendation set by the district (~34 students), a building level class size committee will convene to brainstorm additional supports up to and including advocating for an additional class section.

If you have questions or concerns and would like to talk more about what these budget cuts in fourth and fifth grade next year mean for your child and our school, please reach out to Ms. Berry or Mr. Martinez to discuss more. While I am confident we can continue to offer a high quality learning experience for all students, the best way to help restore funding is to advocate at the state level for a long term solution to funding quality education in Oregon!

Congratulations to the 2024 Sitton OBOB champions: The Feared Bookworms of Maestra Stephanie's class! Wesley, Margaret, Charlie, Nora and Theo competed against 5 other Sitton teams on Monday and Tuesday this week after reading this year's OBOB selections. Well done team, we're excited to see you back at it next year!

Our goal is to stay above 90% attendance for the whole year, but cold season has seen us dip below our goal. As the weather gets warmer let's make sure we are at school, on time, every day we are well enough to do so!

We are pleased to announce that our website is updated! There is lots of new content and you can find our events and field trip calendar on our main landing page. We'd love it if you took a look, followed us on Facebook and Instagram, and offer any feedback you think would be helpful! We're looking forward to a fresh and updated web presence that helps us communicate all of joy and learning that happen at Sitton every single day!

Today I’m writing to share my gratitude for all of the wonderful classified staff at Sitton including our paraprofessionals, educational assistants, custodians, bus drivers, secretaries and nutritional services staff here at Sitton! These educators support students in so many ways- from helping during lunch time, supporting student communication, and working to build positive relationships between all kids in our school community. Classified staff members are known and trusted adults at our school who we deeply appreciate and essential to providing a safe and supportive school environment!

We could still use your help in hiring 2 more substitute paraeducators who will be available to work at Sitton (and other schools in North Portland) on days that work with their personal schedules. Substitute paraeducators often work 1:1 or with small groups with students on days when our regular paraeducators are absent and there is almost always a need! This can be an ideal position for parents or caregivers who have school-aged children as the start and end times match our Sitton calendar. To be a substitute paraeducator, you must see the assets that all children bring, believe there is strength in difference, and be flexible. You must also have a high school diploma or higher and be able to pass a background check. More information on qualifications, pay and benefits can be found here. To apply, visit careers.pps.net and search for job id 26085. This is one way we can make sure every student has the support they need to reach their full potential!