Maplewood School

Hello Maplewood Families,

There is hope in our school’s future.  There was a tentative agreement made between the City of Portland, Portland Association of Teachers and Portland Public Schools that would restore 110 positions throughout the district.  I wrote the following paragraph on Wednesday but still feel it is imperative that the work the Foundation has started be continued. 

 The Maplewood Foundation has mobilized a motivated group of parents to offer an auction on June 2^nd from 7-9 pm at the SW Community Center.  They are working against a very tight timeline but I’m told by the Foundation that this endeavor is doable.  If you’re interested in helping with this auction, please contact one of the Foundation’s co-chairs:  Heather Wilberger at hwilberger@gmail.com or Ken Klein at ken.klein@mac.com If you haven’t seen the Foundation website, please check it out and take a look at all of the wonderful offerings our media specialist provides for Maplewood students. 

Even though it is May 4^th, it feels like there is still a little winter left in our spring.  Please remember if the forecast is for rain, send your child with a coat.  If it is just drizzling rain, students will still go outside for fresh air and exercise. 

Maplewood students and staff have been practicing a lock down – team response drill to comply with the national emergency training requirements. We will always have a staff member, usually our custodian, on the front steps informing parents that we are conducting a drill and must leave the doors locked for up to 10 minutes.  The drill involves locking the entire school and classroom doors in case of an emergency.  What I know, from experience, is the more we practice, the better we become at executing the safety measures necessary in case of an emergency.  Along with the lock down drill, we practice fire and earthquake drills throughout the year.

Please remember that the first bell rings at 7:50 and the tardy bell is at 8:00.  Instruction begins at 8:00 am and we have many children coming to school after 8:00 and are missing critical instruction.  Please help your child come to school on time and set up a routine that will last into high school.  I appreciate your attention to this request.

Please read the Family Advisor flyer that PPS sent home regarding updating school buildings.  There will be three community meetings held:

Tuesday, May 22 at Roosevelt High School

Wednesday, May 23^rd at Madison High School

Thursday, May 24^th at Lincoln High School

The format for each meeting is:

5-6 pm Open House

6-8 pm Presentation and discussion

My congratulations go to Rebecca Ruhl for her detailed, thoughtful organization of Bookbaggers. This was my first year attending this great event and I was pleased to see the community involvement and the emphasis on children and children’s literature.

Dr. Kathy Masarie speaks at May Robert Gray Middle School PTA meeting - Join us on Monday, May 7, from 7-8:30 pm for a wonderful evening with local speaker Dr. Kathy Masarie.  “Courage to Be the Change You Want to See” is the topic of this free presentation