The Cheetah Coalition #31

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Our school counselor, Lilly Williams, has begun her leave for the remainder of the school year as she prepares to welcome her new baby. We’re excited for Lilly and send her our warmest congratulations and best wishes during this special time.

We’re also grateful to have two experienced, retired counselors supporting our school community in her absence. Bri Henderson (brhenderson@pps.net) will be available on Mondays and Tuesdays, and Kristin Lasher (klasher@pps.net) will serve Wednesdays through Fridays. We appreciate their willingness to step in and care for our students.

Please join us in wishing Lilly all the best and in welcoming Bri and Kristin to our school community!

Hope to see you all there!

To parents of current Kinder and First Grade Students in the English Scholars Program (not DLI):

We had a parent meeting this week where I shared the guidance that we have received with respect to our anticipated multi-grade classrooms for next year at grades 1 and 2. You can see the PPS Research Brief at this link. Also here is an article about the work that Leo van Lier and Aida Walqui did on the expanded zone of proximal development.

Well done, musicians!

I’m excited to share that April 20–24 is Volunteer Appreciation Week. During this time, we will pause to recognize and celebrate the many individuals who give their time and talents to our community. In honor of this week, we will shift our regularly scheduled Principal’s Coffee to focus on thanking and connecting with our volunteers. We invite all volunteers to join us on Friday, April 24 after drop-off—we’ll have coffee and pastries, and as we usually do during our parent coffees, I will be available to respond to any questions parents may have.

This winter, second-year film students from Franklin High School visited the music classroom at Atkinson to learn why music is important to our students, and then created short films. Seven of the films are showcased on the City Portland website, and one film will also be shown at the Portland Art Museum during Miller Family Free day on Sunday, April 26!

The Free Food Market will be open this Saturday, April 17 from 3:30–5:00 p.m. at Kellogg Middle School. All food is free and everyone is welcome. See flyers below for more information.

Friendly reminder! If you still haven’t sent in your 5th grader’s baby photo for the yearbook, please submit it by Friday, April 24 to atkinsonyearbookpps@gmail.com. Thank you!

Thank you all so much for everyone who helped to put on this amazing event! It was a thrill to see all of the smiling faces experiencing some springtime bike joy. We were blessed with good weather and got some amazing photos that I wanted to share with you all.

We’ve continued to have beautiful weather on Fridays, which means wonderful running club days!
The kids have been working hard out there!

We have five new half marathoners:

• Sloane W
• Evelyn B
• Kemen MC
• Itai MC
• Enid H

• Kai J
• Jane W
• Alister SM

• Cella S

• Ysabella L
• Kemen MC
• Sebastian G

We will have 6 more running clubs, last on 5/29. Final awards will be given out after that.

Lastly, there is a family-friendly Atkinson 5k up on the silent auction. It’s $10 to sign up. We will run/walk on Sunday 5/17, ~9am from Clinton Park around the South Tabor neighborhood.
Come join us!

The PTA will be hosting an Earth Day Garden/Work Party in the Outdoor Learning Garden on Wednesday, April 22. This day is no longer an early release day, it is a full school day. Parent volunteers are welcome to arrive anytime after 12:30 p.m. to help with moving bark chips, pulling weeds, etc., and children may join their parents from 2:30–3:30 p.m. for some fun, kid-centered garden activities! We will have seeds and pots available for students to plant and take home, and limited snacks and drinks. Students must be accompanied by an adult in order to participate. Join us!

At the end of April, our 3rd-5th grade students will begin their state testing in Reading, Writing, and Math. Some parent volunteers want to do something special to support and encourage them to do their best. Their plan is to put together goodie bags for them to show that the whole community is rooting them on!

If you are interested in contributing to these goodie bags, they have created a wish list/registry on Amazon. You can purchase any items on the list using the link below. These will be sent directly to the coordinator to prep for our hard working test takers! Any excess items will help to replenish the stock!

ATK: State Testing Wishlist

The deadline for these items is Wednesday, April 22.

If you would like to help assemble baggies or have any questions, please contact Maren Kohl (maren_kohl@csd28j.org). Thank you in advance for any help you may be able to provide!

We’re excited for our upcoming Día del Niño celebration and need lots of volunteers to help make this fun community event a success! There are many ways to help, including: event set-up, serving food (tacos, desserts, drinks), face painting, clean-up, and more! Whether you can help for part of the evening or the whole event, your support makes a big difference.

• Please check out the sign-up sheet and grab a spot—we’d love your help!

• Questions? Reach out to Erin Lopez at air_in23@hotmail.com.

Last day to submit photos for the yearbook is Friday, April 24. Photos from school events, field trips, etc can be sent to atkinsonyearbookpps@gmail.com.

To purchase your copy of the yearbook, use this link: Atkinson Yearbook 2025-2026

See below for January class newsletters from homeroom teachers:

English Scholars Classes:

• Jess Wagner - Kinder
• Robin Shue - Kinder
• Laura Humphrey - 1st Grade
• Brittney McAleer - 2nd Grade
• Mary Beth Bitzer - 2nd Grade
• Laurie Shonkwiler - 3rd Grade
• Laura Seckinger - 3rd Grade
• Tommy Allen - 4th Grade
• Mady Hampton - 5th Grade
• Kathy Zipp - 5th Grade

DLI Classes:

• Maria Tobon Olguin - Kinder DLI
• Janeth Hernandez-Solis - 1st Grade DLI
• Christine Klein-Leong - 1st Grade DLI
• Omar Casillas - 2nd Grade DLI
• Emilia Schwing - 3rd Grade DLI
• Martha McArthur - 4th Grade DLI
• Cole Brown -5th Grade DLI

Kellogg MS is hosting a community Multicultural Fair & Family Resource Night on May 27 and would love to invite the Atkinson community to attend. See the attached flyer for more information.

• Saturday, April 18 — PTA Auction, 6–9 p.m., Oaks Park Dance Pavilion
• Wednesday, April 22 — FULL INSTRUCTIONAL DAY, NO EARLY RELEASE
• Friday, April 24 — Principal's Coffee/Volunteer Appreciation, 8:10 a.m., cafeteria
• Friday, April 24 — PTA Día del Niño Celebration, 6–8:30 p.m.
• Wednesday April 29 — K–2nd Music Performance for parents, 1:10–2:20 p.m., cafeteria
• Friday, May 1 — Furlough Day, NO SCHOOL
• Wednesday, May 13 — All School Assembly & Buddies (NO EARLY RELEASE)
• Thursday, May 14 — PTA Meeting, 6:30–8 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 20 — Class Pictures
• Friday, May 22 — Principal's Coffee, 8:10 a.m.

PPS works hard to ensure that all staff and students are trained to respond effectively and efficiently during an emergency at or near school. One of the many ways we accomplish this is through our mandatory drill requirements. These drills are essential in ensuring our school community is as prepared as possible for emergency situations. Atkinson's emergency drill schedule for the remainder of the school year is as follows:

• Friday, May 15 — Evacuation/Fire Drill
• Monday, June 1 — Evacuation/Fire Drill

Learn more about PPS Emergency Management here.