DOLPHIN DIGEST 9/4/2025

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តើអ្នកត្រូវការបកប្រែទេ? ចុចលើតំណ "បកប្រែ" នៅផ្នែកខាងលើ។

ትርጉም ይፈልጋሉ? ከላይ ያለውን "መተርጎም" የሚለውን አገናኝ ጠቅ ያድርጉ.

We’re so glad to have you as part of our school community!

This weekly newsletter is developed and sent in partnership between school administration and the PTA. If you have information you'd like shared in the newsletter, please email it to ArletaSchoolPTA@gmail.com. Keep scrolling for the latest.

We acknowledge Portland rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla and many other Tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River. #HonorNativeLand https://youtu.be/ETOhNzBsiKA

• Sep 9: School Board Meeting, 6pm-9pm, 501 N Dixon St. Portland, OR 97227.

• Sep 11: Arleta Litter Pick-up, 2:30-3pm, meet by the picnic tables.

• Sep 11 - October 31- Dolphin Drive Fundraiser.

• Sep 11: Back2School Night with ESL and TAG Family Night, 5:30-7pm.

• Sep 16: Picture Day!

• Sep 17: EARLY RELEASE 11:50 AM.

• Sep 18: Neurodivergent Family Gathering, 5:30-7pm, Cafeteria

• Sep 19: SUN School Fall Registration Forms due, please drop off in office.

• Sep 25: Arleta Litter Pick-up 8am-8:30, meet in front of the picnic tables.

• Sep 26: Family Movie Night, 5:30-8pm, Cafeteria.

• Sep 29: Popsicles in the Playground, 6-7pm.

• Oct 6: SUN School Fall Term Begins.

• Oct 8: Walk, Bike, Roll to School Day.

• Oct 10: NO SCHOOL, TEACHER IN-SERVICE.

Arleta School Calendar

PPS District Calendars:

English language PPS District Calendar 2025-26

PPS District Calendar en Español 2025-26

PPS District Calendar Tiếng Việt 2025-26

It’s great to have our whole student body at school this week! Learning, learning everywhere!

We hope your child is feeling excited about their learning. Every child in our school will soon be writing about what they like to learn at Arleta. Together, all children’s work will be displayed to create our annual “All School Write”. Find this in our main hall during our Arleta Back to School Night ~ coming up a week from today, next Thursday evening, September 11 from 5:15-7:00.

It’s important that every child and family attend! Here is the agenda for the evening:

• Community Connect: 5:15-5:45, out front~

• Casual “meet and greet” for families, teachers, staff and community partners to connect at tables set up along the sidewalks. This is the time to connect with all the different educators

• A light snack for all in the breezeway ~ enjoy while mingling and visiting tables

• Children should stay with adults to the degree possible; the goal is for families and staff to connect.

• Staff Introductions and Community Welcome: 5:50-6:00, front steps~

• At 5:50 we ask everyone to move forward toward the steps to hear staff introduced and then I’ll give a short community welcome

• Classroom Open House sessions: 6:05-6:30 and 6:35-7, in your child’s classroom ~

• Two sessions (for families with more than one Arleta student). Families with three or more children: if possible to bring more than one adult, you can divide up to attend more sessions.

Next Tuesday afternoon, each teacher will email all families their “Back to School Presentation Slides” through ParentSquare. This is our “presentation” of the grade level content, program and schedule for the school year.

• Please read the slides ahead of time and bring your questions to Back2School Night.

• There might also be an activity to do with your child, a community circle for families to meet each other, or students may share some art or other ways the classroom community is coming together.

Arleta Family-Student-School Compact A requirement of being a Title 1 School is that all Arleta Family/Caregivers, Students, and Teachers sign our compact every year. A copy was sent home in your child’s Back to School Packet: If you haven’t already gone over it as a family, signed and returned it, please bring it next week.

I encourage you to take a picture of your child’s signed copy so you can pull it up when/if helpful to remind children (or ourselves!) what we’ve promised to do as a member of our Arleta Community. Thank you for this part of our important family-school partnership!

If you won’t be able to attend Back2School Night, please look at the slides your teacher will send (or find them on our website starting Wednesday) and reach out to your child’s teacher or any other staff if you have questions or input.

As our Arleta Motto says, “I am because we are.” Please join us! It will really benefit your child to see their family and school staff connecting about the year ahead.

Warmly,

Lisa

Link to translated flyers of the flyer above.

Red Cards in English

Tarjetas Rojas Con Derechos De Los Imigrantes

移民权利红卡

Thẻ đỏ cho quyền của người nhập cư

ቀይ ካርዶች ለስደተኞች መብት

កាតក្រហមសម្រាប់សិទ្ធិជនអន្តោប្រវេសន៍

Our PTA needs you. More participation equals more power, as a strong active PTA has more influence with school leadership, district officials and local government. The more voices we have at the table, the more weight our PTA will carry. Our educators also need you. Through the help of our fundraising efforts, organization of events, and classroom support, we enable our teachers to be their best.

Joining the PTA as a volunteer and/or member holds many benefits to you. Not only can you stay informed first hand on school policies, events, and decisions, but also you can help to shape these decisions. In addition, studies show that parent involvement boosts student success. When kids see their parents involved, they're more likely to be engaged. As a PTA member you will meet and connect with other parents in your Arleta School community. We all support each other and we're all in this together.

During the month of September, the PTA is going to be focusing on building awareness of PTA activities among Arleta parents and encouraging folks to get involved. On Wednesday you may have seen several PTA members in front of the school with flyers and a survey and suggestion box for parents. Members of our PTA will be available each Wednesday and Friday drop-off this September to answer any questions you have. Learn what volunteer opportunities there are through the year; every bit counts, large and small, and makes your child's school experience that much better!

You can become a member by clicking here!

You can fill out the survey for parents, sharing your thoughts on the goals and activities of the PTA, by clicking here.

And you can email lisa.hugelier@gmail.com to be put on a list of parents willing to volunteer.

Every month, your student will get a copy of the Arleta PTA Newsletter in their Friday folder. The PTA newsletter is designed to showcase upcoming events and important news on a convenient one-page flyer that you can hang on your fridge. Here's the link to the September issue that went out last week!

Both district and school missives are shared with parents via specialized software. This year we're transitioning from Remind to ParentSquare. Click on this link to download the new app!

Our PTA uses an app called Konstella for all communications. Through this app you can find contact information for youd kids' classmates, PTA events, volunteer sign-up sheets, and lots of news! It's important to sign up for it quickly so you don't miss anything going on at the school.

If you're not already signed up on Konstella, click here to go to the Apple Store to download to your iPhone for free or click here to go to GooglePlay to download it to your Android device for free or click here to access it via the web on your desktop and use invitation code FH3W5B. Email Lisa Hugelier, PTA Family Engagement & Volunteer Coordinator, at lisa.hugelier@gmail.com with questions.

The next school board meeting is Wednesday, September 9, from 6pm-9pm at the Dr. Matthew Prophet Education Center (Prophet Center), 501 N Dixon St. Portland, OR 97227.

This meeting is open for the public to attend in person up to the capacity of the Boardroom and will be streamed live under the provision of ORS 192.670 at: https://www.youtube.com/@ppsboardofeducation/live

Links to Board of Education Information:

• Board of Education Website
• Past Board Meeting Recordings
• Board Meeting Agendas and Materials
• Public Meeting Notices

Send requests for public comment to publiccomment@pps.net.

The Arleta Green Team hosts twice-monthly litter clean ups on second and fourth Thursdays of the month. The next Litter Pick-up is on Thursday, September 11th from 2:30-3pm.

Please meet at the picnic tables, grab a bucket and grabber, pick-up trash anywhere you see it, and drop off the bucket when you're done. We will take care of the trash. Leave whenever you need. Thank you for helping to keep our school grounds clean and safe for everyone!

Our staff is excited for our first full community event of the year coming up next week! We hope that all families will be able to attend our Back to School Night with your child(ren).

Back to School Night is such an important time to come together as a school community… to connect, share and learn about important aspects of the school year. We want to connect, listen to and learn from you, as much as we have information to share. We’ve designed the evening with that goal in the forefront. Back2School Night is a good time to ask questions or share your ideas with all/any of our staff.

From 5:30-6pm we will gather in front of the school and hear opening remarks and welcomes from Principal Lisa and others. From 6pm-7pm parents will go to their child or children's classroom for presentations, a tour of the classroom, and a chance to ask more detailed questions about your kid's learning experience this year!

Each classroom's presentation is a 1/2 hour long, so if you have more than one child (or you arrived late for the presentation) you can switch to a new classroom for the second presentation at 6:30pm!

Please come and meet your teacher(s), learn what your child will be learning this year, and celebrate the new school year with us!

Make sure your bike is rolling smoothly and safely during the Southeast Neighborhood Bike Fair on Friday, September 12 from 2:30 – 5:00 p.m. at Woodmere Elementary School, 7900 SE Duke St, Portland, OR 97206! There will be free activities for everyone, including:

• Learn-to-ride clinic for adults and children just starting out on a bike
• Helmet fitting and distribution for being safely equipped to ride
• Bike Safety Activities for children to learn bike safety skills
• Quick-fix bike repair to make sure your bike is rolling smoothly and safely
• Guided Community Ride in the neighborhood to practice safe riding on the streets

Participants are welcome to bring their own bikes. There will be bikes of various sizes available for children and adults to borrow for the Learn to Ride clinic.

This event is hosted by the Portland Bureau of Transportation in partnership with Portland Public Schools and the Community Cycling Center. For more information, visit portland.gov/se-bike-fair-2025.

School picture day is Tuesday September 16th. You can order online now and for up to four (4) days after picture day. Or, check the order forms that will be in the Friday Folder!

Here are some helpful tips to make picture day great!

• Wear simple clothing. Solid shirts or small patterns, along with sleeves, photograph best.
• Avoid logos and text on clothing. Graphics or wording may not photograph completely and can become partially cropped out of your picture.

We're excited to resume our Neurodivergent Family Gatherings welcoming students, parents, and guardians. The first one is on Thursday, September 18th from 5:30-7pm in the Arleta cafeteria. The group offers a safe space to talk, connect, and play. Come join us the cafeteria. Pizza dinner and kid activities will be provided. Please let us know if you would like a translator.

Our next Dine-Out to support the Arleta PTA is at Otto's Pizzeria, 7122 Southeast Foster Road, 97206, from 11am-9pm on Monday, September 23rd.

Otto's Pizzeria is generously donating 50% of their profits to the PTA, and this applies to all orders: dine-in, take-out, delivery, and online gift certificates! Please enjoy pizza and help the PTA at the same time!

The PTA is hosting popsicles & yard games at the playground on Monday, September 29 from 6-7pm. We’ll have a variety of lawn games ready for you to play, but of course, you're welcome to bring any additional games you’d like.

Bring your kids, get treats, play games, connect with other parents and kids, learn how the PTA supports Arleta and find out how you can participate!

We still have a few open PTA leadership positions and would love your help in filling them. If you are interested, have questions, or would like to nominate someone else, please email us at arletaschoolpta@gmail.com.

Green Team Coordinator

• Time Estimate: ~3 hours/month

• Duties: Lead litter pick-ups twice a month, brainstorm ways to make Arleta more eco-friendly, help plan recycling and sustainability events, and assist with community care days.

Communications Coordinator

• Time Estimate: ~5 hours/month

• Duties: Coordinate communications across the newsletter, website, and social media; create flyers for events and fundraisers; support consistent messaging across platforms.

Vice-President

• Time Estimate: ~4 hours/month

• Duties: Support meeting agenda prep, assist officers and committee chairs, recruit and mentor volunteers, lead nominations for next year’s board, and help with the annual audit.

Join us in building community, supporting our students, and making Arleta a stronger school for everyone!

This is a part of a short series where we'll be featuring a different book each week from the 2025-2026 Oregon Battle of the Books Grades 3-5 reading list! Check out the book below!

The enchanting first tale in the New York Times best-selling series is now available in a beautiful twentieth-anniversary edition poised to captivate a new generation.

For as long as she can remember, twelve-year-old Emily Windsnap has lived on a boat. And, oddly enough, for just as long, her mother has anxiously kept Emily away from the water. But when Mom finally agrees to let her take swimming lessons, Emily makes a startling discovery—about her own identity, the mysterious father she’s never met, and the thrilling possibilities and perils shimmering deep below the water’s surface. In a lovely twentieth-anniversary edition of the spellbinding fantasy about family secrets, loyal friendship, and the convention-defying power of love, New York Times best-selling author Liz Kessler lures us into a glorious undersea world where mermaids study shipwrecks at school and Neptune rules with an iron trident. This deluxe unjacketed hardcover features a ribbon bookmark, decorative stained edges, an author’s note, facts about mermaids, and a personality quiz to reveal what kind of sea creature the reader might be.

Click here to see the book on the publisher's website.

Click here to check out the book, ebook, or audiobook from Multnomah County Library.

Click here to buy the book from Powell's Bookstore.

Click here to see the book, ebook, and audiobook at Barnes and Noble.

Click here to see the book on Amazon.

Click here to read a review of the book.

Each week we feature a poem from literature that you can share with your kids. Poems are quick ways to practice literacy and work like little packages of thoughts and feelings that explore the world in new ways.

The bird that feeds from off my palm

Is sleek, affectionate, and calm,

But double, to me, is worth the thrush

A-flickering in the elder-bush.

-Dorothy Parker

Reggie Laurent is a contemporary, abstract artist. To make this art project inspired by his work, you will need: construction paper (especially black), scissors, glue, and crayons.

While your making your art project with your kids, click here to be taken to an interview with the artist Reggie Laurent on Art Ed Radio, a podcast for art teachers and hear him talk about his creative process and his art education.

Arleta SUN Community School provides a FREE after-school program that promotes student success by extending the school day through enrichment activities and academic support. SUN (Schools Uniting Neighborhoods) also provides adult classes & workshops and fun family events. Community schools serve as mini “community centers” by keeping a public building open & active during after-school hours, and bringing youth & family opportunities directly to the neighborhood. It’s an alternative way for you and the local community to connect via the school! SUN is not a childcare program. Portland Parks & Recreation manages the Arleta SUN program.

Our SUN School Coordinator Raina Bilbrew is wonderful as so many of you already know! In addition to coordinating the various aspects of our after school program, she collaborates with and deeply supports our staff, supports students within the school day, serves on Arleta Site Council, runs an intentionally designated SUN Community Space in Room 4, and collaborates with our PTA Inclusion Committee. To contact Raina directly: raina.bilbrew@portlandoregon.gov or 503-916-6332.

SUN will be at Back to School night on Sept. 11th. Registration forms for SUN School will be due by September 19th and the program starts Oct. 6.

Arleta has a small food pantry, clothes closet, and a variety of toiletries available for the use of any Arleta family. To set up an appointment to use the pantry or the closet, please email our SUN School Coordinator, Raina Bilbrew at rbilbrew@pps.net or raina.bilbrew@portlandoregon.gov or call or text her at 971-803-8986.

Email Lisa Hugelier lisa.hugelier@gmail.com with questions.

The School Board meets regularly at the school district's Dr. Matthew Prophet Education Center (Prophet Center), 501 N. Dixon Street, at 6:00 pm on select Tuesdays of each month - and on certain other occasions. Some scheduling changes do occur; if you plan to attend, please see below for the upcoming public meeting notices.

Under the provision of ORS 192.670 all meetings will be live-streamed at http://www.youtube.com/@ppsboardofeducation/live, except for those meetings that fall under the provisions set forth for executive sessions.

To subscribe to email notifications of public meeting notices, email kbradshaw@pps.net to request to be added to the email list. After an email address has been subscribed to the mailing list, a notice of a Public Meeting of the School Board will be sent before each scheduled meeting.

Relive the nostalgia with your kids! Cinema 21, 615 NW 21st Ave, is showing "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" at 11am this Saturday, September 6th.

Pee-Wee Herman is a child-like, eccentric man in a grey suit and red bow tie living a whimsical life centered around his most prized possession—a customized red bicycle. When it turns up stolen, Pee-Wee has no choice but to embark on a perilous journey, a cross-country quest to retrieve his precious bike after a psychic tells him it’s in the basement of the Alamo. Along the way, he encounters an amazing array of oddballs, all determined to prevent our hero from achieving his goal. One of the most offbeat comedies of the 80s, a feast for theceyes and ears. Starring Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton, Diane Salinger, and Alice Nunn as “Large Marge.” Screenplay by Phil Hartman, Paul Reubens, Michael Varhol. Musical score by Danny Elfman. Cinematography by Victor Kemper. Directed by Tim Burton. In Color. (91 mins.)

The movie start at 11am. Tickets are $9 each. Click here to go to Cinema 21's website.

Free Saturday Art Class at The Lobby at Ellen Browning Building 2871 SE Division Street, from 12pm-2pm.

We'll kick off our artistic journey by visiting our mesmerizing exhibition. Guided by our knowledgable team, your child will discover the secrets hidden within iconic artworks. They'll get to recreate their own versions of timeless masterpieces in a hands-on activity while learning more about the artists' techniques, styles, and the stories that influenced their creations.

No need to worry about art supplies - we have that covered, everything your young artist needs will be there and waiting.

Plus each child goes home with a special tote bag filled with supplies, to keep the creative juices flowing.

One detail, we ask that there is at least one adult for every family of children.

We promise the adults will enjoy the art exhibition too! Click here to see the current art exhibition on their website.

Celebrate Oregon’s LGBTQIA2S+ History with Oregon Queer History Collective and the Portland City Archives! Through community and government created documents, we showcase Oregon’s rich queer history in political activism, social change and relationship building.

The Collins Gallery is used for exhibits created by library personnel or by community members in cooperation with library personnel. Use of space by a community organization does not constitute an endorsement of the organization's beliefs by the library.

Central Library
801 SW 10th Avenue
Portland, OR 97205
503.988.5123

It's Back for Fall 2025— EmbraceRace's Most Popular Training:

Why & How to Talk about Race with Kids!

Are you wondering how to respond to a racial comment from your child? Questioning whether or not it would be helpful to step into a conversation about skin color between kids in your classroom? When is it ok to start talking about race with kids anyway?

Our newly revised curriculum takes caregivers through the science of when, how, and what children learn about race; what communication about race and racism with kids looks and sounds like, and how caregivers can orient themselves to keep the race conversation going for the long-term.

Bring your questions, bring your scenarios, and join us for a thoughtful and practical communal training experience that will help you navigate conversations about race with your kids. Courses are five 90-minute virtual sessions, led by an EmbraceRace facilitator. **Best for caregivers of children ages 4-13.

Register by Monday September 15th by clicking here.

Questions? Reach out to us at earlychildhood@embracerace.org.

Since 2016, EmbraceRace has supported parents, guardians, educators, and other caregivers working to raise children who are thoughtful, informed and brave about race so that U.S. multiracial democracy can thrive. We identify, organize, and create the tools, resources, discussion spaces, and networks to:

• Nurture resilience and joy in children of color
• Nurture inclusive, empathetic children of all stripes
• Raise kids who think critically about race and racial inequality
• Support a movement of kid and adult racial justice advocates for all children

Click here to go to Embrace Race's website.

This program is held on the 4th Sunday of every month, from 10am-1pm, at the Multnomah County Master Gardener Demonstration Garden at SE 57th and SE Duke Street.

Email: ArletaSchoolPTA@gmail.com
Website: arletapta.org
Location: 5109 SE 66th Avenue
Phone: 503-916-6330
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArletaElementaryK5

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arletaelementaryK5/

PPS District policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, color, creed, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation. BP 1.801.020. Not all outside groups comply with the District’s non-discrimination policy. Families are strongly encouraged to review all materials closely.