LEWIS ELEMENTARY NEWS

Dear Lewis Families,

We are gearing up for a fantastic school year! A huge thank you to all the families who came out to spruce up our grounds on Community Care Day—the outside of our school looks incredible. Inside, our wonderful custodians, Jesus and Mario, have been working tirelessly to make every hallway and room shine. Our educators are now back in their classrooms, putting the final touches on everything to welcome your children back next week. We are counting down the days until students arrive; it’s truly our favorite day of the year!

As we jump into the new year, we have a few staffing updates to share with you:

Welcome New Lewis Staff

• Beth Minch – Administrative Assistant III (joining us every afternoon)

• Jen Scherzinger – Instructional Coach (joining us every afternoon)

Staffing Adjustments

Based on our current enrollment, our overall staffing allocation was reduced for this school year. As a result, we are moving from two kindergarten classrooms to one, and our physical education position has shifted to four days per week.

• Scott DeMonte – PE Educator (at Lewis, Tuesday through Friday)

• Evin Aksay – Kindergarten Teacher for the 2026/2027 school year

• Rachel Martin & Leslie Dillavou – 5th Grade Job Share

We are Hiring

We are looking for two people to provide additional lunch and recess supervision during the 2026/2027 school year. These are paid positions offering $20.86 per hour. Here is the job description. provided by PPS HR. Please apply for the position throught the PPS hiring portal. Our lunch hours are 10:50 - 12:05.

Parent Resources

As your child(ren) embark on a new year of learning, I want to share some resources that I use as a parent to stay connected to what my own kids are learning—especially in math, where I often need to provide a little extra practice at home. I find it so helpful to see the topics my kids are studying, so I wanted to share the resources I rely on from the PPS website.

PK-5 Curriculum

Health Education K-12

Thank you for being such a supportive, vital part of our school community. We can't wait to see everyone next week!

Wednesday, August 26th - First day of school for 1st-5th grades

Thursday, August 27th - Kinder Ramp up

Friday, August 28th - Kinder Ramp up

Monday, August 31st - First full day of school for Kindergarten

Monday, September 7th - NO School for Labor Day

Wednesday, September 16th - Early Release Dismissal at 11:50am

Thursday, September 17th - Back to School Night

The morning drop off bell rings at 7:53am. Free breakfast is served in the cafeteria. Students should be at their desk and ready to learn at 8:00am.

Kindergarten,1st grade and 2nd grade students will enter at the front doors.

3rd grade, 4th grade and 5th grade will enter at the door under the covered area by the hallway dip.

The school day ends at 2:30pm.

Pick up will be from the classroom exterior doors. For classrooms without exterior doors, the teacher will let you know the specific pickup location. If your child is walking home, in a carpool, or has someone else picking them up, please let your classroom teacher know. If your child/children are tardy (arrive after the 8:00am bell) please have them enter the front door and sign in in the office and take a tardy slip.

*On the first day of school, parents/guardians may walk their child/children to the classroom at morning drop off. After the first day, parents will say goodbye to their children at the exterior doors.

Kindergarten Supply List

1st/2nd Grade Supply List

3rd Grade Supply List

4th Grade Supply List

5th Grade Supply List

Mr. Post Supply List

There has been an update to ParentVUE. Please see the links below for Android and iPhone devices:

• Android
• iPhone

Please help us make sure we have the most up to date information for your student(s) and complete the yearly verification on ParentVUE.

If you speak another language at home other than English, please be sure to note that in your student's file so we can assess them for additional services. If they qualify for English Language Development (ELD) services, then they could receive additional reading and writing support from our specialists during the school day. Services are provided during our 1st-5th grade daily intervention block and/or directly within your child's English Language Arts block so they never miss core instruction with their class.

ELD is not a part of Special Education. To learn more about ELD in PPS, click here.

Portland Public Schools Nutrition Services is happy to announce all enrolled PPS students will be able to enjoy breakfast and lunch at no charge for the 2026-27 school year. Families do not need to submit a free and reduced-price meal application.

Breakfast includes an entree, choice of fruit, and milk. Lunch includes a choice of entree, milk, and unlimited fruits and vegetables. Students must choose at least three foods, with one food being at least a 1/2 cup of fruit and/or a vegetable. If students bring their lunch from home and want milk, they may choose two other foods – such as a fruit and vegetable – at no charge. Milk can no longer be purchased separately.

https://www.pps.net/departments/nutrition-services/nutrition-services

If a parent/guardian needs to come into the school, they must enter through the front doors. Please ring the doorbell on the brick wall and the office staff will buzz you in.

You will be asked to show your ID.

Parent volunteers will be arranged by the classroom teachers. Please check in the main office when you arrive and check out when you leave. It is always important for us to know who is in the building.

If you are interested in volunteering in the school, help chaperone a field trip, or participate in a school event please make sure to submit your background check: https://www.pps.net/volunteer

We are seeking the help of 2 family representatives for the 2026-27 Village Table. Family voice will continue to shape decisions during rightsizing and support honest conversations about school experiences and community needs.

If you are interested in this extremely important role or would like more information please reach out to Principal Anna Davis or the school office.