Bulldog Bulletin

I want to thank everyone in our community for your generous donations. We have raised 62% of our $30,000 goal!

Celebrating diversity is a very important part of the Richmond experience, and in order to provide our children with the privilege to learn from many diverse cultures and backgrounds, we must intentionally seek those opportunities.

Run For Richmond donations will fund our school's assemblies and field trips! Click here to donate today.

We had a blast hosting South American musicians Inka Jam last month in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, and with the dollars raised during this year's Run For Richmond fundraiser we are also hoping to host more assemblies for Black History Month in February, and Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month in May, as well as other enrichment opportunities throughout the year. We also have many classes scheduled for a Fall field trip this school year and our teachers hope to be able to schedule another one in the spring!

Thank you so much for your support!! These enrichment opportunities are what make school memorable and exciting for our students. Check out the photos below from some of our awesome assemblies last school year! 💙

If you would like to come cheer your student(s) on as they Run For Richmond, please feel free to join us. Our students are excited for Run For Richmond and have been practicing for this fun event in PE classes this week!

Visitors for Run4Richmond: There will be a sign-in table at the SW entrance (41st Ave side) to the field. Please sign in prior to entering the field. Due to school being in session, access into the school building will not be available. Please plan accordingly.

Volunteers for Run4Richmond: There will be a volunteer sign-in table at the SW entrance (41st Ave side) to the field. Please sign in prior to entering the field. Be sure to wear your volunteer lanyard during the event.

FYI - Due to a delay in deliveries we won't be serving peanut butter & jelly sandwiches at lunch for a little while. We're hoping they will arrive by the end of the month, but I wanted to give our families a heads up in case the PB&J at school is your kiddo's preferred choice for lunch.

On Thursday, October 15th at 10:10am we will have our first Earthquake Drill of the year. I will make an intercom announcement to prepare all students and staff prior to beginning the drill. During the drill the automated message will ask students and staff to "Duck, Cover, Hold On" until the drill ends.

After the earthquake drill is over, I will make another announcement to transition us into our monthly fire evacuation drill. Our goal is to evacuate at voice level 0 in less than 4 minutes.

Our first Black Student Union (BSU) affinity group meeting for our Black-identifying students will be held on Friday, October 16th at 10:45-11:30am in room 200 upstairs.

Racial affinity groups allow our students of color who typically do not have the privilege of seeing themselves represented throughout our school spaces to be in community with one another. This social-emotional support positively impacts student outcomes by creating a sense of belonging and empowerment.

Please be sure to complete your child's permission form to attend BSU meetings this year.

PPS has scheduled Early Release Wednesdays throughout the year to allow staff to engage in 3 hours of professional development in the afternoon on those days.

Our first Early Release Wednesday is scheduled for October 21st.

Early Release Days: 9/16, 10/21, 12/16, 1/20, 2/17, 3/17, 4/21, 5/19

• School ends at 11:50 AM on these days.

• School buses will provide transportation to their usual routes at 11:50am.

• Please calculate your child's arrival time to their bus stop by checking their regular bus schedule (e.g. how many minutes after 2:30 does it usually take for them to get home)

• Breakfast is served at the usual time 7:45 in the cafeteria.

• Lunchtimes for all K-5 classes will be earlier in the morning between 9:40-11:05. Students will still have the usual 20-minutes to eat "brunch".

Please complete a new Dismissal Plan Form if your child's Wednesday plans on these days will be different from their usual Wednesday dismissal plan.

OBOB is part of the fabric of Richmond Elementary School community and culture. Every year, more than 100 students in grades 3-5 participate in OBOB - that’s almost 1/5th of our school!

REGISTER NOW!

https://forms.gle/58jG2m1Vd2HVC1g36

What is OBOB?

OBOB is a tournament "sport" in which teams of 3rd-5th grade students read from a diverse list of books and compete with other teams on trivia questions from the books. It’s a great opportunity to read more, foster friendship, build problem-solving skills, and practice teamwork.

What are this year’s books?

Check out the list here - and then check out from the Richmond Library, Multnomah County Library, or purchase at Powell’s (OBOB books are always 20% off!).

How can my student and I learn more?

Learn the basics on the Richmond OBOB website homepage. And find more specifics on the Resources page!

Registration is open NOW. by talking with friends and classmates about forming teams and getting a head start on reading.

Info session for caregivers and students coming soon - stay tuned!

Already dropping off or picking up your student each day? Turn that time into a way to give back to the Richmond community!

Safety Patrol is one of our most valued leadership opportunities for 4th and 5th-graders — but it can only run with adult support. Every patrol shift needs a trained Adult Supervisor stationed at intersections around the school to keep our patrollers safe.

Last year, we didn't have enough volunteers, and many shifts had to be canceled as a result.

Here's how you can help: Email Bill Aubrecht at baubrech@pps.net and attend the Supervisor training on Tuesday, October 20th from 2:45 until 3:15 in room 203.

Thank you for helping keep our students safe and our Safety Patrol program strong!

The Quarter 2 Art Club is now taking Applications from 2nd and 3rd grade students interested in a little extra art! I will select 12-14 students randomly from all applications received by October 26th. Students who have not previously attended Art Club will be prioritized. We also have one or two spots for 4th and 5th grade students who wish to be a Teacher’s assistant. Please fill out the form if interested! -Sparrow Sensei

Application form: https://forms.gle/sy7QppxhwDy1axSx8

Physical Education

Oregon PE Standards

Ariel Feeney

Congratulations to 3rd grade Blue group for earning the most class points! Classes get class points for coming into the gym ready for PE, listening to instructions, having good sportsmanship, cleaning up safely and lining up at the end of PE. Kindergarten Blue Group, 5th grade Green Group and 2nd grade Green Group have also received bonus points for being extra encouraging and kind to each other.

Here’s what we’ve been doing in PE for the first 7 weeks of school:

• Week 1: Students got to know each other, the rules in the gym and the expectations for PE.
• Week 2: Student’s played games like Slap Ball, 4 Corners and Ghost in the Graveyard incorporating exercises and spatial awareness. When playing games, we try to remember “it’s just a game!” which means it’s okay to get “out” or “lose”.
• Week 3: Students practiced tagging gently in a tag game and made class agreements
• Week 4: We celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with learning the Macarena and an Encanto themed warm up. Students participated in a cooperative game of Cross the River where they practice teamwork and communication.
• Week 5: Students completed stations that focused on strength, speed and agility.
• Week 6: Students prepared for Run4Richmond by practicing pacing themselves in 10-15 minutes of running laps
• Week 7: Students earned choice time where they practice sharing equipment and space, solving problems on their own and celebrating their hard work.

It's not too late to let the district know your thoughts for keeping our district and public schools great or your questions about the impacts of rightsizing on the district's finances or how it plans to utilize the empty school sites. Fill out the District's Rightsizing Feedback Form (QR Code Below):

Please also provide your Site Council Reps for Richmond with the same or more information so we can bring it to the district at upcoming Village Table meetings. At these meetings there are always small group breakout sessions with PPS Staff that we can share our community's thoughts with. Please fill out the Richmond Rightsizing Feedback Form (QR Code Below):

Please see below for a fun local opportunity shared with us by a Richmond family.

Run for Richmond is this Friday, October 16th! Coach Feeney has prepped the playlist, students are getting excited, and we are at 60% of our fundraising goal! Thank you, Richmond! Please keep it going!

Please consider donating, sharing with friends and family, and coming by to watch or volunteer on Friday! More details at https://www.richmondptapdx.com/run-for-richmond-2026/

Our fundraising target for this year’s event is again $30,000.
This will fund field trips and assemblies for the 2026-2027 school year.

• Please sponsor your student with a donation! Spread the word to your friends and family!

• Volunteer on the day of the event!

• And of course, come out and celebrate your student’s success!

The 2026 run schedule:

• 8:45-9:30am – 1st grade

• 9:30-10:15am – Kindergarten

• 10:15-11am – 3rd grade

• 12:15-1pm – 2nd grade

• 1-1:45pm – 4th grade

• 1:45-2:30pm – 5th grade

We need volunteers to make this event happen! Sign up to volunteer here.

Join us as our incredible students Run for Richmond! Go Bulldogs!

Every year, Richmond PTA partners with Kiyokawa Family Orchards to sell delicious fruit to Richmond families as a fundraiser for the PTA. We're getting a late start this year and have a short ordering window, so ORDER RIGHT AWAY!

Same varieties and prices as last year, and we're keeping the option to buy several things in five pound bags, if a whole box is too much or if you want more varieties!

Please check out all the details HERE!

Ordering is open now through Friday, October 16th – a short window, so order today!

PTA General meeting Thursday, 10/22/26 @ Rich Coffee! Come vote on the budget, new board members, give feedback on our 2026-27 goals, all while socializing and enjoying coffee and donuts.

Do you want to belong? Join the Richmond PTA! We are the parents who make things happen. We are the parents who support our kids and staff. We are the parents who support each other.

This is our annual membership drive and you can belong to PTA for $17 for the year. In addition to the swagger of being a "Richmond PTA card-carrying-member" you will also have a voice in important issues like our annual budget, vote on PTA leadership, and vote on new processes to make our organization better.

If you are interested in joining, please fill out this membership form and then pay your dues using the Square Space page.

Come spend the morning with other Richmond families helping care for our school grounds. At this month’s gathering, we’ll prepare the east side of the school for some native plants by clearing grass and weeds and loosening up the soil where plants will go.

All ages and experience levels are welcome. Come for the whole morning or stop by when you can, there will be a job for everyone. We have lots of tools and gardening gloves, but we’d love it if folks could bring some bonus tools if you have them: strong spades for digging, good tools for removing tough sod, and a leaf blower if you have one.

Meet in the learning garden, we’ll be at school from 9-12. Snacks provided.

Add to calendar: https://calendar.app.google/Hdk1dWqvFN42iWoD9

Click here to sign up as a volunteer!

Please support our 5th grade Japan trip!

Check out the Oya No Kai website to see the program details and available sessions:
https://oyanokai.org/portal/study-support/

A quick tip when choosing an intern:
You are welcome to choose the intern who supports your child’s classroom, but you don’t have to! You can book a session with any intern who has a schedule that works for your child. If your child’s classroom intern doesn’t have an available time that works for you, check the other interns’ schedules, too! Another intern may have an opening that fits your schedule perfectly.

If you have any questions regarding the study support or scheduling, feel free to contact Haruka Takanuma, intern coordinator, at haruka.takanuma@oyanokai.org

JASO is hosting an Oya No Kai fundraiser on Monday, October 26th at Alberta Rose Theatre.

Join us and enjoy traditional rakugo comedy with Katsura Sunshine, and $7 of each ticket purchase will be donated back to Oya No Kai!

Click here for more info about tickets!