DOLPHIN DIGEST 1/15/2026

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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

• Tuesdays Now - MAR 5: Adult Salsa Classes, 6-7pm, cafeteria, childcare provided, no partner required. Click here to register!

• Fridays Now - MAR 5: BIPOC Lunch Group, Room 32. Click here to sign up your child!

• JAN 19: MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY, NO SCHOOL.

• JAN 23: Arleta Tree Planting, 8:30-11:30am, sign up to volunteer!

• JAN 26-27: NO SCHOOL.

• JAN 29-30: School Play Auditions, 5:30-7pm, school auditorium (students who are auditioning only need attend one of the audition evening).

• JAN 30: Arleta Family Movie Night, 5:30-8:30, cafeteria.

• FEB 3: Due date for Oregon PTA's "I Belong" Student Art Show. Students, PTAs, or communities can submit art electronically through this form, or please email office@oregonpta.org to contact us to submit physical artwork.

• FEB 9: Arleta PTA General Meeting, 6-7pm, school library.

• FEB 9: Rehearsals start for the Arleta School Play "The Excellent Adventure".

• FEB 11: EARLY RELEASE, 11:50 AM.

• FEB 16: NO SCHOOL.

• FEB 19: Neurodivergent Family Gathering, 5:30-7pm.

• FEB 20: Kindergarten/Arleta Information Night, 5:30pm.

• MAR 2: NO SCHOOL

• MAR 3: Arleta OBOB School Tournament

Arleta + District Monthly Calendar

English language PPS District Yearly Calendar

PPS District Calendar en Español 2025-26

PPS District Calendar Tiếng Việt 2025-26

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We have breakfast available for all Arleta students at no cost. Please join us!

The doors open at 7:45 and students eat in the cafeteria. Students are dismissed to class at 7:58 in order to be ready to learn at 8:00. Kindergarteners are walked to class by a staff member.

Remember, the cafeteria is supervised at 7:45, but no other areas on campus are. If you drop your student off for breakfast, please make sure they head directly to the cafeteria. Parents are welcome to hang out in the cafeteria while their students eat breakfast.

Fantastic Schoolwide Assembly!

Our 4th graders have been learning how perspective changes the story of history. To demonstrate proficiency in class, they’re striving to listen for different viewpoints and consider whose voices are heard and whose are missing. On stage today they captivated our Kindergartners, 1st-3rd and 5th graders, all our staff and even each other, as they read aloud information about and enacted the various perspectives of “Colonial Voices” (a text from their current Language Arts unit of study). They read with such expression! Demonstrating a deep understanding of and engagement with the content they were sharing. Many students added gestures and props, using just the right level of flair (not easy work!). All the students beautifully supported each other and listened to each other. Thank you so much Ms. Doyle and Teacher Noah for leading our 4th graders to be fantastic models and sharers of learning at high levels.

Improving Tardiness Outcomes

We are launching Arleta On Time Ready to Learn. This includes adding a passing bell at 7:58 to signal to students that it is time to walk to class. Over the first half of the year we had 1,937 tardies! This impacts the student who is late and the whole class.

Being on time for school ensures that your student has time to settle into their classroom, say hello to a few friends, and prepare themselves for a day of learning. The start of the day is typically when teachers have warm-ups or community building activities that are extremely helpful for students socially and academically.

Missing even just the first few minutes of class may impact their whole day and if missed regularly can affect their whole year. Tardiness can lead to feeling rushed, stressed, or cause general disruptions as they enter the classroom. We know that things come up and sometimes being late is unavoidable and we want to make sure every child has the best start to their day as often as possible.

If you or your child are feeling overwhelmed in the morning or are having a hard time making it to school on time, please reach out to us so we can see if there are ways we can help support your morning routine!

Arleta Tree Planting

if you can volunteer from 8:30 and 11:30am on January 26th please see the volunteer section!

Difficult Conversations with Children

On sorrowful days, many parents and caregivers are searching for ways to support their children as they hear about violence and traumatic events in the news. Please see the NAMI Minnesota handout below for some quick and helpful tips. They've also gathered rusted guidance and reputable resources to help you have age-appropriate, supportive conversations that can reduce fear and build a sense of safety on their website.

Warmly,

Lisa

Arleta SUN School offers weekly salsa lessons for the adults in the Arleta community. Adult Salsa Dance Lessons are held Tuesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 PM in the cafeteria. These sessions are free for the Arleta community, and childcare will be provided. No partner is required, and all experience levels are welcome. This will be the final free session of the school year. Please use the link to get registered!

The Arleta BIPOC Lunch Group begins tomorrow, Friday January 16, timed with your child's lunch, and continues weekly on Fridays throughout the SUN School semester.

The Arleta BIPOC Lunch Group provides students with a welcoming environment to promote cultural awareness, social tolerance, and academic success. It is a safe space for students to gather and be themselves. Please use this link to register your student for participation. Attendance is not mandatory every Friday, but once students sign in, they are expected to remain with the group for the duration of their scheduled lunch or recess period. Ms. Raina will retrieve the children from their recess and escort them to Room 32., then return them to the cafeteria for the teachers once BIPOC Lunch Group ends.

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.

This year's Arleta School play is "The Excellent Adventure", an original Arleta musical production that's a fun take on "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure"! Enjoy history, '80s nostalgia, and chaos with the Arleta theatre troupe!

Sound like fun? Come audition for the play on January 29th and 30th, 5:30-7pm in the school auditorium. Click the button below for a pdf version of the audition form or pick up a paper copy in the school office next week!

Here are the important dates to know:

Audition Forms Available in Office: Jan 12

Auditions: Jan 29 & 30, 5:30-7pm (you need only attend one night).

Rehearsals: Feb 9 - May 13 (Mondays and Wednesdays).

Performances: May 14 & 15 (Mandatory)

Questions? Email sarah.lisa.armstrong@gmail.com!

Enjoy the new year in community, and come to Arleta Movie Night, on Friday, January 30th! We're showing Disney's "The Princess and the Frog"! Inspired in part by E.D. Baker's book "The Frog Princess" follow Tiana as her dream of opening her own restaurant takes her on an adventure of mistaken identities, metamorphosis, and magic.

Doors open at 5:30 pm and the movie starts at 6 pm. Bring picnic chairs and blankets to set up in the cafeteria for your own comfort. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times during the movie night.

Come meet other Arleta community members as we go over PTA updates on February 9th, from 6-7pm, in the Arleta Library. Topics will include Dolphin Dash & Teacher Grant purchases updates, Learning Landscapes tree maintenance project update, vote in the 2025/26 Arleta PTA Nominating Committee, and review marketing plans for PTA roles and this year's connection to kindergarten events.

To help make participation easier, childcare and dinner will be provided. While we encourage in-person attendance, a remote option via Zoom will also be available (link will be sent out the week before). The meeting is open to all, though only current PTA members may vote.

We hope to see you there!

PTA Membership

Head to the Arleta PTA Store to sign up!

Note: This year state and national PTA dues went up by $1 each (now $11.50). To keep things fair and accessible, we will continue covering one membership per household. We suggest a $15 donation if you can—it helps cover dues and keeps our budget strong for events and programs.

Today, January 16, PPS released its proposed budget cuts for the 2026-27, which you can see here. If you can, please attend an engagement session to learn more about the far-reaching cuts and to give feedback. Click here to go to the PPS Budget Process webpage for more complete information.

Oregon PTA is excited to celebrate the art, identity, and belonging of all children and teens across Oregon. We invite K–12 students statewide to submit original artwork for a special exhibition at the 2026 Oregon PTA Convention, taking place in April 2026 in Clackamas.

Inspired by National PTA’s Reflections theme, “I Belong”, this exhibition will honor the power of creativity, student voice, and artistic expression.

We are looking for submissions from a diverse range of artists from K-12 schools that showcase the creativity of our students. Students can use a variety of art forms, such as visual arts, literature, photography, music composition, dance choreography, or film production, to reflect on any and all ways they feel a sense of belonging.

With this exhibition, Oregon PTA hopes to shine a light on how powerful and essential belonging is for all of us—especially for the children and teens growing up in today’s world.

Students, PTAs, or communities can submit art electronically through this form, or please contact us to submit physical artwork. Artwork should be submitted by February 3rd, 2026.

We also call on all PTAs and school communities to hold their own “I belong” art exhibition this year. Official Reflections posters from National PTA are available for pick-up at the Oregon PTA office in SE Portland (please email office@oregonpta.org to schedule an appointment). Digital resources are also available at https://www.pta.org/home/programs/reflections/startyourprogram.

If you are interested in helping us celebrate our artists or for any questions, please reach out to us at reflections@oregonpta.org.

Your art belongs, and so do you!

Rules

• Each entry must be the original work of a student at a school in Oregon.
• We recommend that artwork in various art forms stay within the parameters set by National PTA for the official Reflections program here.
• While we are aligning with the National PTA Reflections theme, Oregon PTA is currently not participating in the official National PTA Reflections contest.
• We intend to display a wide variety of submitted artwork; the final decision about the display of any art at the Oregon PTA convention is at the discretion of the Oregon PTA.
• Ownership in any submission shall remain the property of the entrant, but entry into this program constitutes entrant’s irrevocable permission and consent that PTA may display, copy, reproduce, enhance, print, sublicense, publish, distribute and create derivative works for PTA purposes. PTA is not responsible for lost or damaged entries.
• Submission of entry into the PTA Reflections program constitutes acceptance of all rules and conditions.

Start off the year by retrieving your lost item!

For the week of Jan 5-9, we had 92% positive attendance (up from 88% the week before) and 130 tardies (down from 165 tardies the week before). .

Looking for some tips to help you get out of the door on time? Check back here each week for ideas.

This week's tips:

• Make a family pledge about attendance and being on time.

• Give up on pajamas. Let your kid wear school clothes to bed.

• Ask kids to check the weather the night before and set out proper jackets/shoes.

Arleta has partnered with Learning Landscapes, a division of Portland's Department of Urban Forestry, to plant 23 new trees around our campus! We need volunteers on Friday, January 23rd, from 8:30-11:30am to help plant trees. They will provide materials, gloves, snacks, and coffee. Our fifth grade classrooms will be joining us in planting trees

Many schools in the district are considered heat islands and this program aims to create as much new shade canopy as possible, while providing an educational experience for students. This program is fully funded by the City of Portland; Arleta Elementary was an eligible priority!

A full team of professional planners and contractors have been working with the district to create our site map with a highly considered selection process. We trust their decisions are informed. In addition to planting next Friday, there will be a second phase of independent work where they will remove and update trees in our playground and parking lot. This program will also be providing follow-up maintenance, watering and care to insure greater success for all these new trees!

With continued effort, we are hoping to initiate a third phase in collaboration with additional organizations that could hopefully include asphalt removal in selected areas of our blacktop.

Please join us for tree planting if you'd like to participate! We could use all the extra hands we can get!

A unique account of the amazing Thai cave rescue told in a heart-racing, you-are-there style that blends suspense, science, and cultural insight.

On June 23, 2018, twelve young players of the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach enter a cave in northern Thailand seeking an afternoon’s adventure. But when they turn to leave, rising floodwaters block their path out. The boys are trapped! Before long, news of the missing team spreads, launching a seventeen-day rescue operation involving thousands of rescuers from around the globe. As the world sits vigil, people begin to wonder: how long can a group of ordinary kids survive in complete darkness, with no food or clean water? Luckily, the Wild Boars are a very extraordinary "ordinary" group.

Combining firsthand interviews of rescue workers with in-depth science and details of the region's culture and religion, author Christina Soontornvat—who was visiting family in Northern Thailand when the Wild Boars went missing—masterfully shows how both the complex engineering operation above ground and the mental struggles of the thirteen young people below proved critical in the life-or-death mission. Meticulously researched and generously illustrated with photographs, this page-turner includes an author’s note describing her experience meeting the team, detailed source notes, and a bibliography to fully immerse readers in the most ambitious cave rescue in history.

Get The Book

• Read a sample chapter online for free, from the American Booksellers Association.
• Click here to borrow the book, ebook, or audiobook from Multnomah County Library.
• Buy the book at Powell's Bookstore.
• Buy the book, ebook, or audiobook at Barnes and Noble.
• Purchase the book on Amazon.
• See the book on the author's website.
• See a YouTube playlist that includes interviews of the author and how to pronounce Thai words in the books.

Click here to borrow any OBOB book from Multnomah County Library, or you can order them from Powells Bookstore (OBOB books are now 20% off at Powell's)!

Would you like to recommend a book for next year's OBOB list? Submit your recommendation here now through February 20th. Click here to read their book recommendation criteria.

Arleta's OBOB finals are on Tuesday Mar 3, 2026 ⋅ 2:30pm – 4pm.

OBOB practices are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 2:30pm to 4:30pm starting Jan 13, through to Thursday Feb 19. OBOB will be run through SUN this year. All players need to be registered for the OBOB Tuesday/Thursday SUN session to be able to participate.

OBOB is also entirely volunteer-run, which means that we need caregiver volunteers to step in weekly to support the kids on their battle journeys. If you have the capacity to help, please immediately complete a background check through Portland Parks & Rec.

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.

Some people talk and talk

and never say a thing.

Some people look at you

and birds begin to sing.

Some people laugh and laugh

and yet you want to cry.

Some people touch your hand

and music fills the sky.

-Charlotte Zolotow

This month's cafeteria bulletin board is all about weather! We sure have a lot of weather in January. And no shortage of clouds. Teach your kids how to identify clouds, as a stepping stone to being able to predict the weather, by following the instructions in the simple video below to make a cloud spotter.

To look up 15 types of clouds and the weather they are involved in, click here for an article on the Weather Channel.

You will need: Cardboard, a glue gun or white glue, cottonballs, and a sharpie or marker. You can get creative and paint your cloud spotter as in the picture shown, and you can print pictures instead of using cotton balls, if you prefer!

What do you call a bee that can't make up its mind?

A maybe.

Click here to submit a joke to the Dolphin Digest.

One in six children in Oregon and SW Washington face food insecurity. Food insecurity can arise for anyone. Should you need a little help, or you want to give a little help, here is a list of nearby resources.

Search for food pantry by day and time open, using the Portland Free Food Calendar.

Urban Gleaners takes advantage of Oregon's bountiful harvests, making sure they don't go to waste, sharing food through a variety of free markets around the region. You can find those markets on their website. Find a location by clicking here.

St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 5415 SE Powell Blvd. Hours are on Fridays from 2-5pm and the entrance is in the rear of building. They use a lottery system to give out the initial entry numbers. Those who have arrived by 1:45 pm on Friday will be entered into the lottery. Those who arrive after 1:45pm will be given the next number available.

SVDP Our Lady of Sorrows, 5221 SE Knight street. Referral only. Call Portland Council for food box at 503-235-8431.

Groceries 4 Grout, 4028 SE 34th Ave. This food pantries is hosted every Friday at Kenilworth Presbyterian Church parking lot. The outdoor pantry is shopping-style, available to everyone and we invite people to bring their own bags. Call (503) 235-3977 with inquiries.

The Woodstock Food Pantry 4033 SE Woodstock, provides groceries on Fridays and Saturdays, between 12:00 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. to anyone who needs them. Drive-through or walk-up pantry. Cars – line up and stay in your car. Walkups – line up on the sidewalk.

The Francis Center 6535 SE 82nd provides food boxes Monday through Thursday from 10am -2pm. They ask that people gather one box per month, unless they're homeless, in which case, they can come once a week.

Kellogg Middle School Free Food Market, 3400 SE 69th Ave, is generally open on the 3rd Friday of every month (but they have added extra dates for November and December) and is open to the public (you do not have to have a student at Kellogg to attend). Please bring your own bag. The Kellogg pantry is open for these dates: December 2, 5, 9, 12, 15, 19, from 4pm-6pm. For more information, email info@kelloggmsptsa.org.

Lane Food Pantry, 7200 SE 60th, in the back parking lot, is open both to school families and the public, every Tuesday from 3:30-5pm, and offers 3-5 days worth of food, including fresh produce, to all comers. Please do not arrive more than 15 minutes early for the safety of the students. The pantry is run in partnership between the SUN program, the Latino Network, and the Oregon Food Bank.

The Equitable Giving Circle provides food boxes, compiled with Black farmers, for BIPOC people in our area and provides home delivery.

Portland Open Bible Community Food Pantry, 3223 SE 92nd Avenue Portland, has an open pantry on Tuesday 4pm-7pm and Thursday 10am-1pm except on federal holidays. Online ordering is open 24 hours per day / 7 days per week (click here to order food online). Walk in, call (503) 442-8228, or visit their website for more information.

PDX Free Fridge is a community based and informed mutual aid effort to increase access to free food and vital supplies by creating a network of independent fridges and pantries in Portland, OR. Go to their website to find a fridge or pantry near you! (Note: this map is out of date, and is currently being updaated.)

Milk Crate Kitchen delivers meals twice a month. To learn more, click here for the Milk Crate Kitchen website.

During these unprecedented times, some local restaurants are stepping in to fill the gap. Click here for a list of local restaurants providing SNAP meals.

To research more resources, go to the Oregon Food Bank Food Finder, Findhelp.org, or the Multnomah County Food Assistance page which has been updated to include resources for folks on SNAP not getting their SNAP payments. Multnomah Education Service District has a document with a list of resources for SNAP beneficiaries, translated into multople languages. To donate food, consider the Portland Food Project, which will pick up shelf-stable food from your home and deliver it to food pantries.

To see this list in a pdf with translations, click here.

Link to translated flyers on Canva.

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

We're so lucky to live in a vibrantly active community. This section contains family-friendly events, mostly free or low-cost, that you can do with your kids to explore, learn, and create memories, as well as resources for a little help when you need it.

NOW - JAN 24: Make Valentines For Seniors (at home or at an event).

NOW - JAN 26: Picturing the Northwest: Photographs and Illustrations from the John Wilson Special Collections, Collins Gallery at the Downtown Library

NOW - JAN 30: Find Your Heart In Happy Valley Scavenger Hunt, various times and locations around Happy Valley.

NOW - FEB 28: Registration open for SE Portland Little League.

NOW - MAR 1: Registration open for Southeast Soccer Club.

JAN 16: Lego Club, 3:30-4:30pm, Holgate Library.

Jan 16: Red Cross Blood Drive, 12pm-5pm, Woodstock Shopping Center, 4523 SE Woodstock.

JAN 16: Due date for Cognizant's 32 Annual Young Artists Debut submission for performing artists ages 8-18.

JAN 16 - MAR 2: OMSI Studio Ghibli Film Festival, various times, $9 for Adults, $8 for Seniors, and $7 for Youth

JAN 17: Read to Dogs at Holgate Library, 11am-1pm.

JAN 18: All Dogs Go To Heaven free screening, 11:30am, Movie Madness Miniplex, 4320 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 97215. Tickets available at the counter in-store or by calling (503) 234-4363

JAN 19: Free Food Boxes (Sunshine Division + Kaiser Permanente) 10am-2pm, Reynolds Swim Center, 20218 NE Halsey Street.
JAN 20: You Too, Can Craft! Crochet Hearts at Holgate Library, 3:30-5:30pm

JAN 20: Felted Acorns for Tweens at Holgate Library, 4pm-6pm.

JAN 20: Pop Up Card (Free Workshop), 5-7pm, collage, 3710 SE Division.

JAN 21: Metro Area Master Gardener Webinar: Fruit Tree Pruning, 12pm-1pm, online.

JAN 28: Metro Area Master Gardener Webinar: Growing Blueberies, 12pm-1pm, online.

FEB 7: Portland Puzzle Exchange, 11 am-1 pm at Matt Dishman Community Center, 77 NE Knott Street.

FEB 7: Portland Indigenous Marketplace, 10am-3pm, 1661 SE 3rd Ave.

FEB 8: Lunar New Year Parade, starting at 10am, Chinatown to SW 3rd Ave, and up to the Oregon Historical Society.

FEB 17: Lunar New Year Celebrations at Lan Su Garden

ONGOING EVENTS AND RESOURCES:

• Find affordable music classes for your Arleta student at PPR on this website.
• NAMI Multnomah County Parent Support Group (virtual meetings), 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month, 4pm-5:15. Click here to see the support groups on their website. Click here to sign up to receive notifications for the support group meetings.
• Arts for All $5 tickets for SNAP beneficiaries.
• Borrow a Cultural Pass from Multnomah County Library.
• Multnomah County Library Everbody Reads 2026, Supreme Court Justice Justice Ketanji Jackson.
• Portland Sidewalk Joy Map: View the map.

Valentines for Seniors 2026 is underway!

@positivechargepdx invites you to help spread love and kindness by creating handmade Valentine cards that will be distributed to local seniors through Meals on Wheels. There are several easy ways to participate:

• Join one of our special MLK Weekend card-making events (details on our website)
• Make Valentines at home and drop them off in advance at one of our community drop-off locations (listed on our website)
• Join our community card-making event on January 24 (1–3 PM)

Last year, our community created over 2,100 Valentines — and we’re hoping to do it again with your help!

Event details, drop-off locations, and card guidelines can be found here:

https://www.positivechargepdx.org/valentines2026

Dec. 6, 2025 - Jan. 26, 2026

Multnomah County Library's special collections hold a treasure trove of images that reflect the people, places and history of our region. This showcase features three centuries of Northwestern perspectives, from a sweeping photo of Portland taken in 1867 to insightful prints created by Indigenous artists in 2014.

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 time to put your treasure-hunting skills to the test with a fun, winter adventure around Happy Valley! Each week, a glass heart (replica) will be hidden somewhere in the city: think parks, around local businesses, or other key points of interest.

Clues to its location will drop every Monday at 10am, starting January 5th, on Happy Valley Parks and Recreation social media channels and website.

Be the first to find the replica heart and bring it to City Hall to claim the real deal a one-of-a-kind, handmade glass heart created by local artist Sweet Lomy Art

Get ready to crack the clues, explore Happy Valley, and join in on the fun. Let the hunt begin!

For more info please visit: hv.city/treasure-hunt

Southeast Portland Little League (SEPLL) is a nonprofit dedicated to providing baseball and softball opportunities for youth ages 4-16 in a fun, inclusive environment. We welcome players of all skill levels and focus on skill development, teamwork, and fair play. Community is at the heart of SEPLL. By giving kids a place to learn, grow, and connect, we’re building a stronger community—on and off the field.

Registration is now open for Spring teams. Click here to learn more and to register!

Our next, nearest Red Cross Blood Drive is on Friday, January 16th from noon-5pm at Woodstock Shopping Center, 4523 SE Woodstock Portland, OR 97206. Click here for the event on the Red Cross website.

Join us on Friday, January 16th from 3:30 to 4:30 at the Holgate Library for a fun and imaginative LEGO building session. We'll provide the building blocks, you bring the creativity! Ideal for grades K-5, but younger and older siblings are welcome.

Improve your reading skills and make a new friend by reading aloud to a therapy dog at Holgate Library, from 5:30-7:30pm on Saturday, January 17, 11am-1pm. For kids and teens. Call 503.988.5123 to register. The dogs and handlers are from Alliance of Therapy Dogs, Dove Lewis Portland Area Canine Therapy Teams, Paws for Love, and Pet Partners®.

Click here to see the event on the Holgate Library website.

MOVIE MADNESS

IN THE MINIPLEX

FREE STAFF SCREENINGS

Tickets available at the counter in-store or by calling (503) 234-4363

Sunday, Jan. 18; 11:30AM

ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN

A canine angel, Charlie, sneaks back to earth from heaven but ends up befriending an orphan girl who can speak to animals. In the process, Charlie learns that friendship is the most heavenly gift of all.

Movie Madness Address:

4320 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 97215

You can learn how to crochet little hearts, at Holgate Library on Tuesday, January 20th, from 3:30-5pm. Turn them into pins to share with those you love or ones to whom you want to show your gratitude. The patterns use several crochet stitches but class will include instruction in those stitches. Materials will be provided but feel free to bring your own. Click here for the event website.

Click here to register.

Channel your inner squirrel and learn to make sweet little felted acorns out of wool at Holgate Library on Jan 20th from 4-6pm. We will be wet felting, so hands will get wet and soapy. With real acorn caps, these acorns can be strung into a garland, or tucked into a pocket for luck! Click here for the event!

This program is intended for patrons between 9-12. First come, first served.

The craft store, collage, 3701 SE Division street, hosts monthly, free crafting workshops. This month's craft is: Pop-Up Cards

Join them January 20th, from 5-7pm and create your own pop-up card! Due to limited space, crafting time may be limited to accommodate all participants.

Jan 21, 2026 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm PST

FREE

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made by Jan 7, 2026 to Catalina Santamaria: catalina.santamaria@oregonstate.edu or 503-655-8631

“Let’s Grow Together” webinars are produced by 10-Minute University™, Clackamas County Master Gardener Association, with a focus on healthy plants, nutritious food, beauty, and biodiversity.

Fruit trees need pruning for healthy growth and consistent production. Young trees require careful monitoring and shaping to develop a strong framework. Mature trees need yearly pruning to stay productive. If your fruit trees do not produce a consistent crop every year or if you are not able to reach them safely to prune and harvest, this class can help. Learn proven practices that will boost your confidence and success.

This session demonstrates how to shape a young tree and the steps for pruning apple, pear, plum, cherry, apricot, peach, nectarine, persimmon and fig trees. The presentation is led by Sherry Sheng, an Oregon State University Extension Master Gardener and instructor with the award-winning 10-Minute University™ Program. Teaching gardening classes since 2006, she has produced numerous instructional videos available at https://cmastergardeners.org/10-minute-university/ Sherry brings both home and community garden experience to her engaging presentations.

This online seminar is free with advance registration. Can’t attend live? Register for the session, and you will get a recording link two days after the class.

*Counts as one hour metro area Master Gardener continuing garden education credit.

“Let’s Grow Together” webinars are produced by 10-Minute University™, Clackamas County Master Gardener Association, with a focus on healthy plants, nutritious food, beauty, and biodiversity.

Everyone knows blueberries are delicious parcels of antioxidants, but how many are aware that blueberry plants can live and bear fruit for decades?

This session reveals best practices developed through decades of research by Oregon State University scientists. Topics include how to select among different varieties, soil preparation, planting techniques and cultural practices (fertilizing, watering and pruning), pest and disease problems, and how to manage them.

The presentation is led by Jane Collier, an Oregon State University Extension Master Gardener and instructor for the award-winning 10-Minute University™ Program. Teaching gardening classes since 2006, she has produced numerous instructional videos available at https://cmastergardeners.org/10-minute-university/

Jane brings both home gardening and blueberry farming experience to her engaging presentations.

This online seminar is free with advance registration. Can’t attend live? Register for the session, and you will receive a recording link two days after the class.

*Counts as one hour metro area Master Gardener continuing garden education credit.

Do you love puzzles? Portland Puzzle Exchange hosts monthly events for you to meet fellow puzzle enthusiasts, swap ones you’ve finished and pick up new-to-you puzzles. This event takes place on the first Saturday of the month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Matt Dishman Community Center, 77 NE Knott St. in Portland.

Bring puzzles you’ve completed and exchange them for others. Once you’ve completed a puzzle, bring it back and exchange it again.

For first-time puzzles, the front table hosts will check them in. Returning puzzles can be dropped off directly onto any of the trading tables.

Organizers ask that puzzles missing pieces be donated or recycled.

For more information, visit Portland Puzzle Exchange’s website.

The Lunar New Year Dragon Dance Parade and Celebration is organized in collaboration with the Oregon Historical Society and numerous community partners. The festivities include lion dancers, drummers, and a 150-foot dragon to lead the parade from the Portland Chinatown Museum, through the China Gate and downtown Portland on SW Third Avenue, and up to the Oregon Historical Society for a joyous conclusion. The parade is on February 8th and begins at 10 am. Click here for event page.

Save the date: February 17, 2026

Lan Su is home to the most iconic Lunar New Year celebration in the Pacific Northwest! Explore the garden adorned with dazzling lantern sculptures from China and take part in interactive cultural activities that bring the celebration to life. It’s a must-see both day and night!

Take a self-guided tour of local creations using the PDX Sidewalk Joy Map. This map showcases fun, interactive neighborhood galleries, exchanges and displays.

The map has more than 100 community joy spots throughout the city. All of these projects created by homeowners exist to bring a bit of whimsy and inspiration to the community.

These displays are viewable from front yards, curbside gardens, alleyways, side yards and sides of buildings.

The map shows a description, image and the location of each display. There’s also Instagram handles so you can follow your favorite Joy Map creators.

All locations on the map are free to enjoy, but you may want to bring quarters for the Super Awesome Prizes vending machine or pay for a pottery piece at the Poetry Pottery Box. View the map.

The Multnomah County Library has cultural passes to allow free admission to select cultural institutions around Portland. To check out a cultural pass from the library and see the list of institution, please click the button below.

Anyone who gets food relief through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and has the Oregon Trail Card or Washington State Quest Card qualifies to purchase $5 tickets to theatre, arts, and culture events around Portland through the Arts for All program.

Arts For All envisions a community where everyone—regardless of financial resources—can experience and enjoy arts and culture.

Over a decade ago, Arts For All was founded by dedicated arts leaders to ensure Oregon Trail Card/SNAP recipients could access specific arts events for just $5 per ticket.

Click here to be taken to the Arts for All Website and to purchase tickets.

Everybody Reads is a community-wide project that promotes shared reading, discussion and creative engagement around a single book. This year's program pick is Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson' memoir Lovely One. Click here to reserve a copy of the book (libraries often also have copies for you to keep, so check your local library branch).

From January through March, join your community at libraries for events around the book. Attend programs about history, the law and civic engagement. Celebrate the themes of Lovely One with creative activities like musical performance and art-making. Click here to see a calendar of Everybody Reads events.

Click here to buy tickets to see Justice Jackson discuss her autobiography live with Literary Arts and ask her questions, on Thursday March 12 from 7:30-9:30pm, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (tickets $35-$85).

The nonprofit EmbraceRace has put together a list of helpful resources for growing violence affecting children in our community. They write:

"The truth is as adults and caregivers we can’t 100% guarantee safety for kids. But we can let them know with our words and actions that we will do everything we can to protect them and help them thrive. We can acknowledge hard realities and provide tools for resilience, healing and community. We can create, with kids, a positive vision of the world we want to live in and take steps to get there – running when we can, walking when we must."

Action Guides & Articles

• How to talk to kids after incidents of mass violence
  by Anatasia Kim, PhD

• 7 Ways to Highlight Resistance Efforts When Discussing Oppression with Children
  by Mia Birdsong

• Same/Same/Different: How to Build an Inclusive Kindergarten
  by Madeleine Rogin

Webinar Videos

• Managing Racial Stress and Teaching Kids to Do the Same
  with Drs. Riana Elyse Anderson and Shawn C.T. Jones

• Teaching and Learning About Race: Fantastic Practice in the Early Years
  with Victor Bradley and Verónica Reynoso

• Teaching and Learning About Race: Fantastic Practice in Late Elementary School
  with Drs. Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn and Onnie Rogers

• Using Books to Engage Young Children in Talk about Race & Justice
  with Tandem, Partners in Early Learning

The PAC is a committee that reports to the PPS Board of Education, and makes a recommendation on how to spend privately fundraised dollars from The Fund for PPS’s Champion PPS Schools. Learn More at Strategic Partnerships / Parent Advisory Committee (PAC): Distribution of Donations for Staffing. Meetings will be online/virtual.

Here is the proposed meeting schedule:

2026 PAC Meeting Schedule (Proposed)

Wednesday, January 14

5:00-6:00 PM

Wednesday, February 11

5:00-6:00 PM

Wednesday, March 11

5:00-6:00 PM

Wednesday, April 8

5:00-6:00 PM

Wednesday, May 13

5:00-6:00 PM

Wednesday, June 10

5:00-6:00 PM

Thank you to those who have already applied, and you will hear from us soon; however, we still need more representatives. Please click on the appropriate link below and complete the brief application if you are interested in serving on this committee:

ADULT APPLICATION- Seeking one parent/caregiver from each of the following schools or the feeder schools to: Franklin, Lincoln, McDaniel and Roosevelt.

STUDENT APPLICATION- Seeking two high school student representatives.

The nonprofit organization The Fund for PPS has launched a campaign called Champion PPS Schools to make collective impact with fundraised dollars. In the 2025-26 school year Champion donated $930,000 across the district for high impact tutoring in grades K-3, math supports for grade 9, and food pantries in 20 PPS community schools.

Learn More in our 2024-2025 Annual Report posted at fundforpps.org!

We need people from each school community to act as liaisons -- points of contact -- to The Fund for PPS. We want to hear what's going on at your school and how to engage your school community. Join us to expand the network of "Champions" and help us build a districtwide community focused on improving the academic experience for our kids and expanding fundraising so Champion PPS Schools can continue to invest in our schools and students! Thank You!

Express Your Interest Here

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.

Anyone ages 5-18 can get care at any of our Student Health Centers. Young people can visit a Student Health Center even if they don't attend the school where it's located.

Vaccines play a crucial role in protecting our students from serious illnesses and help keep our community safe. Parents/ Guardians of students who are due to receive vaccines should receive a letter in the mail. Please check if your child’s vaccinations are current, including their recommended flu shot, and contact your medical provider or any of the resources listed below.

Multnomah County Student Health Centers

OHSU Wellness Center

Multnomah County Vaccination Clinic (English)

Clínica Comunitaria de Vacunación Gratuita (Spanish)

Visitors, adult staff and partners working at a Portland Public School can purchase school meals. Click here to purchase a meal.

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

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.