Duniway Dispatch

• October 28: Duniway s'BOOktacular Night - 6:00-7:30 pm
• October 29-30: Schools Closed - Grading and Planning Days
• November 2-December 4: Duniway Sock Drive
• November 10: PTA General Meeting at 7 pm in the Library

• November 11: Schools Closed - Veterans Day
• November 23-24: Schools Closed - Parent Teacher Conferences
• November 25-27: Schools Closed - Fall Break
• December 4: Duniway Holiday Boutique and Home Tour
• December 16: Early Release Day - 11:50 a.m. Dismissal
• December 19-January 3: Winter Break
• January 4: First School Day of 2027!

PPS District Calendar 2026-27

Hello Families,

Happy Friday and I hope you all have had a good week. I know that it has continued to be an emotional time as our community grapples with potential impacts of the PPS Rightsizing process. It was great seeing such a large turnout (including guests from our neighboring SE schools) for our Principal Coffee this morning with special guests Representative Mark Gamba and City Councilor Mitch Green. I learning a lot about how we can promote policies that grow potential revenue for our state in general and how we can advocate for more funding for our schools.

Looking ahead to next week, we have a short week of school as our teachers will be completing report cards for Quarter 1 and will be planning units and lessons for Quarter 2. Its hard to believe we are at the end of our first Quarter and this school year is flying by. I hope you all will join us at our school "sBOOKtacular" event next Wednesday from 6-7:30pm (see information below) and please let us know if you can make it by completing the RSVP form. I hope you all have a relaxing weekend!

Sincerely,

John Melvin

We are so excited for our upcoming event! On October 28th, from 6-7:30 p.m., we are going to celebrate books!

Come dressed up as your favorite book character - children and adults!
Meet illustrator Kate Berube and author Aron Nels Steinke!
Teachers will be there doing activities and having fun together!

• RSVP here (pretty please - asap!)
• Pre-order signed books here (by Monday, October 26th)
• View the event map here

Hello Duniway Families,

I’m so excited to introduce you to your Duniway Foundation Board. These are community members volunteering to help Duniway bridge enrichment gaps, community experience, and beautifying our school!

Please help us by voting us all in with this survey! It’s a quick one, with opportunities to give feedback on funding and fundraising. I really look forward to a great year making Duniway even more special.

Please take the Duniway Foundation Board survey HERE!

If you are curious in making a difference please feel free to reach out. I still have a few spots on the board if you are interested.

Instructional Support update, we have volunteers in the classrooms and feedback has been wonderful! Great to have you on board volunteers, and HUGE thank you for committing a few hours a week to make a wonderful impact.

Please attend the sBOOKtacular, our teachers and volunteers put together an amazing opportunity to celebrate literacy. Join us Wednesday October 28th, 6pm (right after the DAS party) until 730pm. RSVP HERE!!

I hope you all find time to rest this weekend. It’s been a rollercoaster of a month.

With gratitude,

Andrea Angell

Sign-ups are LIVE for November. It's a great opportunity to see the kids and school in action! Please consider signing-up and supporting the staff. Check out Konstella to learn more.

• November Lunch Duty

• November Recess Duty

It’s been a busy few months settling into the school year! So much learning, growth, and so many amazing things are happening, and I feel lucky to get to be a part of it all each day. At the same time, I know the devastating news out of Bend has hit close to home for many and the potential impact of “rightsizing” brings its own share of uncertainty. There’s a lot to hold right now, and I just want to say thank you to all the parents and caregivers for showing up and supporting our students and one another. Here are a few updates from me:

Due to the potential impact of district rightsizing, middle school lottery dates for focus option schools (DaVinici, Winterhaven, etc.) have been pushed back to later than usual.

2027-28 School Year Lottery Dates

• Lottery Opens: January 11, 2027

• Lottery Closes: February 5, 2027

We are waiting for additional information from the Enrollment and Transfer team regarding open houses and other important details. We will share updates with students and families as soon as they become available. You can also find more information here.

Students did an activity called the Circle of Control, thinking about the things in life we do have control over and the things we don’t. This helps them focus on what they can do instead of worrying about things they can’t change.

Third graders explored different coping skills and discussed the difference between healthy and unhealthy ways of managing emotions. We talked about healthy coping strategies that can help us feel calmer, work through big feelings, and handle challenging situations. Some examples of healthy coping skills include:

• Listening to music, coloring, journaling

• Using positive self-talk, such as “I can get through this” or “It’s okay to make mistakes.”

• Asking for help when a situation feels difficult.

• Taking a problem-solving approach by thinking about what we can do next.

Fourth and fifth graders are learning about bullying prevention and reviewing the difference between a bystander and an upstander.

We define bullying as repeated, intentional behavior meant to hurt someone else. A bystander is someone who witnesses bullying but does not intervene. We discussed reasons someone might remain a bystander, such as feeling afraid to speak up, thinking the behavior is a joke, or worrying about standing up to a friend who is bullying someone.

An upstander is someone who takes action to help when they witness bullying. Being an upstander doesn't always mean confronting the person directly. Students can also support the person being targeted, invite them to join an activity, or report the behavior to a trusted adult.

Please talk with your child about ways they can be an upstander at Duniway if they witness bullying behavior. Together, we can help make our school a safe place for all students.

Become an Upstander to Bullying

Thank you to everyone who showed up this week. Whether it was the PPS Board Meeting, Listening Session at Sellwood Middle School with Dr. Armstrong or this morning's Principal Coffee. Our SE community is showing up and it's making a difference.

There are Ways You Can Take Action Today, check out Konstella to learn more TAKE ACTION

Are you interested in acting? Do you love working behind the scenes to make magic happen on stage? Consider being a part of our upcoming Spring musical production of Charlotte’s Web!

There is a place for everyone in this spectacular show, and you don’t need to have your exact role figured out just yet.

🌟 For Our Students:

• Backstage Crew: Open to all 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders who want to build sets, manage props, and run the show behind the scenes.
• Acting Team: Open to 4th and 5th graders ready to take the stage and perform.

🎭 For Our Parents & Adults:
A production this magical takes a village! We need a dedicated team of adult volunteers to make this show a success. This year, we are especially looking for adults to help promote and market the show to our community, alongside our usual backstage volunteer roles.

Click Here to Access the Student & Parent Sign-Up Form!

👉 Questions? Please reach out to Lisa Adams at ladams1@pps.net. We can't wait to create something amazing together!