PreK-2nd Temporary Relocation Info

Included in this communication is the essential information Middleton parents/guardians will need related to the temporary relocation of our PreK-2nd grade students while the repairs to our school building are completed. If you have questions not addressed here, please reach out to Principal Wilkinson anytime between now and Tuesday at mwilkinson@sherwood.k12.or.us, or call our office on Monday at 503-825-5300.

PreK-2nd grade classes at Middleton will have no school on Monday, January 22. This additional closure day is to ensure our teachers, who have not been in the building this week due to inclement weather, have a day to move necessary classroom and student materials to their new locations and set up prior to students returning to learning, ensuring no additional learning time is lost once classes resume.

Starting on Tuesday, January 23, classes will resume for all grades at the following locations:

• PreK will relocate to Hawks View Elementary (21970 SW Sherwood Blvd, 97140)
• Kinder and 1st grade will relocate to Ridges Elementary (21472 SW Copper Terrace, 97140)
• 2nd Grade will stay at Middleton, but will relocate to a different classroom on campus.

As of Friday, Jan. 19, the estimated timeline for completion of our building repairs will be at least 4 weeks. Once we have a confirmed date for students to return to Middleton, we will communicate that with you as well as any details for that return plan.

Additionally, please know that several staff members from Middleton, including our counselor, office staff, our Specials teachers, and Principal Wilkinson, will be spending time at both the Middleton and Ridges campuses throughout this relocation period. It is important to us that Middleton students at this location have adults they recognize and trust available to them as they adjust to this change.

Not sure how to best help your child prepare for this transition? See the link below for an infographic on supporting children through big changes, or contact Middleton school counselor Alyssa Olson at AOlson@sherwood.k12.or.us for any additional support you or your child may need during this time.

A number of variables were considered in determining which grade levels to relocate, including:

• Bringing students back to school as soon as possible
  
• Transportation
• Class sizes
• Keeping classes intact with their own teacher
• Impacting as few students as possible
• Relocating for only the classrooms requiring repairs (as transitioning additional classrooms would necessitate a much longer closure for ALL grade levels)
• Available rooms at other locations that are already ready to receive students of these grade levels (including furniture needs appropriate for grade level)

Though we'd prefer to keep all of our students at Middleton, relocating PreK, Kindergarten, and 1st grade to other sites ensures that all Middleton students still have the same Specialists (PE, Music, STEM) and maintains a daily schedule similar to what students are familiar with while preserving as much of the daily routine as possible.

For our PreK program, please watch for an email from your teacher Molly Strutz. This email will contain all specific details for your child's PreK program relocation to Hawks View. Please note that PreK families will need to provide their own transportation to Hawks View for their child.

Additionally, you may notice that you receive communications (such as newsletters) from both Hawks View and Middleton during this relocation. We ask that families do not unsubscribe from either location's emails/text alerts during the relocation. It is essential that we are able to contact you from Hawks View in the event of an emergency/inclement weather/etc. situation, and we want to make sure you stay informed of updates from Middleton until your child is able to return to that location.

All Kinder and 1st grade students relocating to Ridges Elementary will remain with their current teacher. Each K-1 class will have its own classroom at Ridges, and there will be no changes to class sizes as a result of this relocation. Middleton students will all have lunch together at the same time.

For those of you who have not yet met the Ridges principal, her name is Miranda Johnson and she is eager to support Middleton in this unique way over the next few weeks. This is Miranda's 17th year in the Sherwood School district and her sixth year as the principal at Ridges. She also spent two years at Middleton as an instructional coach and an admin TOSA, so the Mustangs will always have a special place in her heart. The majority of Miranda's teaching career was spent in Kinder and 1st grade, and she is extra excited to be supporting this age group of students with this transition. Miranda has three girls of her own, two of which currently attend Ridges, and she looks forward to welcoming the Middleton community at Ridges next week. She is always willing to help in any way she can, so please reach out to her if you need anything in the weeks ahead. Her email address is: mmjohnson@sherwood.k12.or.us

• School doors will open at 7:30 for students eating breakfast or riding the bus. All other students arriving prior to 7:45 will wait in the gym until dismissed to classes.

• If students wish to go directly to class, they should plan to arrive between 7:45-7:55.

• Families will need to say goodbyes outside of the building.

• All entry doors, except the main entrance, will be locked at 7:55 am.

• Student(s) arriving after 7:55 am will enter through the main entrance. This door is at the front center of the school near the flagpole. Late arriving students will be walked to class by a staff member when needed.

• At the end of the school day, all classes will be dismissed at 2:15 pm (Wednesday early release times will be 1:15 pm).

• If you need to make a necessary change in dismissal plans, please call the Ridges office before 1:45 pm (12:45 pm on early release Wednesday). Teachers often do not have time to check phone messages or emails during the school day so please call the office. The Ridges office number is (503) 825-5700.
  

• If a child needs to be picked up early for any reason, we ask that parents call the office and staff will meet parents at the main door with the student.
  

For additional arrival/dismissal procedures and details, please review a slide deck from Ridges Principal Miranda Johnson at the link below:

Bus transportation will be available to all K-1 students during this relocation, even those that do not typically ride the bus. This is to ensure a safe route across Hwy 99 for all students.

• If your child normally rides the bus to Middleton they will be picked up at their same bus stop about 5 minutes early. They will remain on the bus when it stops at Middleton to drop off students in grades 2-5 and will then ride the bus to Ridges.
  
• If your child does not normally ride the bus but will during this relocation, they will need to be at Middleton by 7:25 am to board the bus to Ridges with the rest of the students in their grade. The bus will depart Middleton at 7:30 am for Ridges.
• All bus riders to Ridges will be greeted by a Ridges staff member and escorted to their classrooms in the morning.

• Students will remain with a staff member until buses arrive.

• When buses arrive, staff will dismiss bus students to bus loading area at Ridges to load buses.

• If your child normally rides the bus home from Middleton, they will board the bus at Ridges after school and then ride home. They will have a bit later drop off time than normal; please check your Ride360 app after Monday, January 22nd for those times.

• If your child does not normally ride the bus home from Middleton but will during this relocation, they will board the bus at Ridges after school and ride to Middleton. Those parents will pick up their students outside of Middleton at 2:30 pm (1:30 pm on Wednesdays).

If your child attends Middleton’s Champions program after school, a Ridges staff member will help them walk to the bus once they are released from their classroom at Ridges. They will then ride the bus to Middleton with the other bus students, and a Champions staff member will meet them at the bus when they arrive to Middleton at 2:30 pm (1:30 pm on Wednesdays).

During this relocation, you may notice that you receive communications (such as newsletters) from both Ridges and Middleton. We ask that families do not unsubscribe from either location's emails/text alerts during the relocation. It is essential that we are able to contact you from Ridges in the event of an emergency/inclement weather/etc. situation, and we want to make sure you stay informed of updates from Middleton until your child is able to return to that location.

All students receiving Special Education or EL services will continue to receive the same level of services as usual while at Ridges Elementary. Students will receive additional supports during this transition period as needed, and Student Services staff will be reassigned to Ridges as needed to provide services. All IEPs and 504 accomodations will be implemented during the relocation period as well.

All K-1 Skills Center students will remain at Middleton Elementary, and will not attend on Monday, January 22.

If your child take medications (prescription, over-the-counter, even cough drops, eye drops. etc.) at school, we will have those moved over from Middleton prior to your child’s first day at Ridges.

All Kinder and 1st grade cafeteria student ID cards will be moved to the Ridges cafeteria, and students will be able to purchase school breakfast or lunch as per normal at that location. Parents/guardians will continue to monitor or add funds to their child's meal account as per normal (see information here).

While 2nd grade classes will be relocated to a different space on the Middleton campus during building repairs, all 2nd grade students will remain with their current teacher. Each 2nd grade class will have their own learning space, and there will be no change to class sizes as a result of this relocation. The daily schedule for 2nd grade will remain relatively unchanged. On Tuesday, the 2nd grade teachers will walk students down to their temporary classrooms to help them find their way. We will also have additional staff present in the hallways to support students who arrive after 7:45.

2nd grade bus riders will be picked up on their routes approximately 5 minutes earlier than usual. There are no other transportation or arrival/dismissal changes for this grade level.

All students receiving Special Education or EL services will continue to receive the same level of services as usual during this time. Students will receive additional supports during this transition period as needed. All 2nd grade Skills Center students will not attend school on Monday, January 22.

We recognize that this situation is a big change for our young learners, and we are here to support you and your child as best we can. At any point over the next several weeks, please don't hesitate to contact any of the following administrators with questions or concerns:

• Middleton Principal Mili Wilkinson - mwilkinson@sherwood.k12.or.us
• Ridges Principal Miranda Johnson - mmjohnson@sherwood.k12.or.us
• For bus info: Director of Transportation Sandi Miller - smiller@sherwood.k12.or.us
• For school meal info: Director of Nutrition Services Gia Saporito - gsaporito@sherwood.k12.or.us
• For SPED/504/Health Services Info: Director of Student Services Eryn Gonzales Randles - egonzalesrandles@sherwood.k12.or.us
• For communications info: Communications Specialist Christine Andregg - candregg@sherwood.k12.or.us