 |
| Volume 5, Issue 5: January 2012 |
| Making progress, expecting more |
|
We learned this month that Portland Public Schools’ on-time graduation rate rose 5 points last year to 59 percent. Fifty-nine percent is nowhere near acceptable to me or to you. Yet the one-year gain affirms that a stepped-up focus on student support is getting traction and propels us to keep building on these efforts.
We must learn from what's working and especially listen to the voices of our students, two of whom you'll hear from in this issue of PPS Pulse. Our involvement in their education is essential to what must become an enduring story of success.
Thank you for joining in our resolve to keep getting better.
Carole Smith, PPS Superintendent |
|
 |
|
|
Seniors Tyra Poston at Cleveland and Orlando Cardenas at Roosevelt can say why Portland Public Schools saw a 5-point gain in its on-time graduation rate last year: their parents' expectations, and programs and approaches that supported them to remain — or get back on — track. [Read more] |
|
|
|
|
 Starting this fall, boundaries and grades will change at five Northeast Portland Schools — and two others will no longer have guaranteed transfers — as part of an effort to balance enrollment.
[Read more] |
|
|
|
|
Do school buildings have a connection with student success? How is Portland Public Schools making schools more environmentally sustainable? What about earthquakes and our schools? Get answers at meetings in the PPS Buildings & Learning series. [Read more] |
|
|
|
|
 Ready Set Connect, Portland Public Schools’ annual program for students in transition grades, is shifting into high gear. Most kindergarten round-ups and the majority of middle school and high school information events occur in February. [Read more] |
|
|
|
|
 Free workshops for families — on topics ranging from school choice and the teenage brain to healthy cooking and household finances — return in February through the PPS Parent Academy. The current schedule includes classes through May. [Read more] |
|
|
|
|
 Bright orange buckets filled with emergency supplies will soon reach every Portland Public Schools classroom as part of a grant-funded effort to keep students safe.
Staff, volunteers and partners helped fill 3,000 five-gallon buckets in January with supplies including no-battery "shake" flashlights, blankets, water and other necessities. [Read more] |
|
|
|
|
The Oregon Department of Education issues annual report cards for every school and school district. The report cards offer families and the community valuable information about student attendance and achievement and teacher experience, among other things. [Read more] |
|
|
|
|
 With the help of volunteers including Avery Welkin (from left), Jess Polledri and Jalene Wegner, Lent K-8 School has new raised garden beds. Teachers will use the eight beds for science, math and language arts lessons. [Read more] |
|
|
|
|
Through a volunteer effort stretching across the country, a former Portland-area bookstore has been stocked with thousands of children's books available at little or no cost to families. [Read more] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
| High schools through PPS are poised for live productions this winter, including "South Pacific," "Company," "Modern Millie" and two choices of "Hairspray," along with Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" and an "a capella thriller" called "Ablaze." [Read more] |
|
 |
 |
| In addition to offering families online access to their students' grades, Portland Public Schools is making attendance information available at select schools. [Read more] |
|
 |
 |
| A day-long series of basketball games gave Portland Public Schools teams a rare chance to play and interact together. The Portland Interscholastic League Basketball Showcase, held Jan. 7 at the Marshall building, included only PPS schools and Centennial High School. [Read more] |
|
 |
 |
| Older students and a cross-section of staff members are spearheading a new composting program at Beach K-8 School — part of a "pilot project" that will expand soon. [Read more] |
|
 |
 |
| Starting this school year, families may choose whether their grade 3-8 students retake state tests if they have already passed. [Read more] |
|
 |
 |
| Hot on the heels — cleats? — of sports facilities improvements at other PPS high schools, Franklin High School is making plans to upgrade its track and football field. [Read more] |
|
 |
 |
| Peter Senge, internationally recognized for his work in systems change, brought his vision of more collaborative, holistic and engaging learning environments to Portland Public Schools employees. His lecture is available to the PPS community via its television channel and on demand. [Read more] |
|
|
 |
