LEWIS ELEMENTARY NEWS
January 14th 2026
EVERY SCHOOL DAY COUNTS. “Did you know?” 🌟 Lewis is one of seven PPS schools that were identified as bright spots among 30 schools across Oregon “in the top 5% of their state in terms of outscoring their expected reading proficiency.” 🌟 This Willamette Week article celebrates Lewis reading scores on state tests in 3rd grade. Research indicates students’ academic success is directly connected to attendance. We hope to continue our readers’ amazing progress each day they come to school healthy and ready to learn!
Mark your calendar for these important dates:
Thursday, January 15th - Bottle drop! Drop off blue bags 7:45-8:15/Lewis Dines Out @Laughing Planet ALL DAY!
Friday, January 16 - Free Popcorn Friday after school on the blacktop
Saturday, January 17 - Garden Party Power Hour 9-10am
Monday, January 19th - No School - MLK Day
Saturday, January 24 - Garden Party Power Hour 9-10am
Monday, January 26th - Tuesday, January 27th - NO school Grading Day/Teaching planning Day
Wednesday, January 28th - Lewis Dines Out @Double Mountain ALL DAY!
Saturday, January 31 - Garden Party Power Hour 9-10am
February
Sunday, February 1 - Lewis Blazer Game 6pm (more information below)
Tuesday, February 3 - PTA Meeting in the Lewis Library 6:30-7:30pm
Wednesday, February 4 - Walk and Roll (Before School)
Friday, February 6 - Sciencepalooza! 5:30-8pm in the Gym and Cafeteria
Wednesday, February 11th - Early release - Students Dismissal at 11:50
Friday, February 13 - Caregiver Coffee after the second bell, location TBD depending on weather
Sunday, February 15 - Garden Work Party 1-4pm in the Lewis Garden (enter on Cooper Street)
Monday, February 16th - No School - President's Day
Saturday, February 21 - Lewis Rocks concert fundraiser 4:30-8 pm at The Heist (https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/lewis-rocks--2026)
Viewing Report Cards
At the beginning of this academic year, the district set all parents/guardians to paperless report cards. We sent home all students with paper report cards last quarter but moving forward we are going by parent/guardian preference which can be updated through ParentVUE. Instructions for how to view your student's report cards are HERE.
Staying home when sick
Staying home when sick can lower the risk of spreading infections. Under routine circumstances, some illness spread among school communities is expected. In general, children with improving symptoms should be able to participate in school.
If a child’s needs while sick with an infectious illness would interfere with school staff’s ability to teach and care for other students, the child should stay home. Schools must balance the risk of infectious disease spread with educational, social, and mental health needs of children when determining when students should stay home.
Schools, parents, and caregivers often do not know what specific illness a child may have; rather, children present with symptoms. If someone has the following symptoms, they should stay home because their illness could affect their ability to participate in school and there is concern that they might spread an infection to staff and students.
- Fever, including a fever with a new rash.
- Vomiting more than twice in the preceding 24 hours.
- Diarrhea that causes ‘accidents’, is bloody, or results in greater than two bowel movements above what the child normally experiences in a 24-hour period.
- Skin sores that are draining fluid on an uncovered part of the body and are unable to be covered with a bandage.
- Respiratory virus symptoms that are worsening or not improving and not better explained by another cause such as seasonal allergies.
Return to School
When a person can return to school depends on the nature of the illness. In general, a child returning to school should be well enough to participate in school (e.g., can adequately manage improving cough and congestion on own, not overly fatigued), and care of the returning child should not interfere with the school staff’s ability to teach or care for other students. Students and staff returning to school following an illness may still be contagious, but are likely to be less contagious as symptoms improve, depending on factors like duration and severity of illness. Parents and caregivers should consult their child’s health care providers with specific questions about their child’s condition or recovery.
For the general symptoms described in the stay at home when sick section of this guidance, policies can allow return to the school setting when:
- The child has not had a fever (and is not using fever-reducing medicine) for at least 24 hours.
- Fever with a new rash has been evaluated by a healthcare provider and fever has resolved.
- Uncovered skin sores are crusting, and the child is under treatment from a provider.
- Vomiting has resolved overnight and the child can hold down food / liquids in the morning.
- Diarrhea has improved, the child is no longer having accidents or is having bowel movements no more than 2 above normal per 24-hour period for the child. Bloody diarrhea should be evaluated by a healthcare provider prior to return.
- Respiratory virus symptoms are getting better overall for at least 24 hours. Students and staff returning after a respiratory illness can consider additional actions to reduce spread.
The Talented and Gifted (TAG) Department wants your feedback. Please take a moment to complete the TAG Family Survey when it arrives in your email inbox in the next few weeks (your student does not have to be identified as TAG to complete the survey). This survey will help PPS better understand the experiences of families with students identified as TAG.
The Single Subject Acceleration - Math process application window begins March 1st. This process is open to 2nd - 4th grade students. The process outlined in the PPS administrative directive on acceleration and on the TAG Website, allows students who qualify to accelerate through the next grade level. This is a rigorous process with only 14% of students qualifying for SSA-M in 2024 - 25. It is important to talk with your students' teacher to determine if your student might be a good candidate for SSA-M. Strong candidates are students who have met the standards of their current grade level and are proficient on a paper/pencil assessment administered at schools under the guidance of the TAG Department. The decision to accelerate students is made by the TAG Department, with input from teachers, a variety of district administered assessments and the paper/pencil assessment. The timeline for SSA-M:
March 1 - 31st applications accepted via the TAG Website
April 1 - 30th evaluation process
May 15th family notification
For questions regarding your student’s potential for SSA-M, please contact your student’s teacher. For questions regarding the SSA-M process, please contact the TAG Department at ppstag@pps.net
The application window for Access Academy Lottery is February 18th - March 15th. Please visit the Access Academy website for more information on the Access Academy Lottery.
Announcing Birdies Corner Weekly Updates
Birdie’s Place, a memorial playground project honoring a child’s legacy of joy and play. If you’re passionate about making a difference and bringing Birdie’s Place to life, we’d love to have you on our team! To learn more, please email us at birdiesplacefundraising@gmail.com and please follow us on Facebook and Instagram
Todays memory:
Birdie was my best friends little sister so I was around her a lot. She was never annoying and was always smiling.
- Lewis alumni and current 7th grader at Sellwood.
"A hummingbird is sacred in many cultures, always symbolizing good luck, joy, and beauty."
The 2026 Auction is coming together! A venue and date have already been secured.
Love to talk with local businesses? Have a knack for securing fun donations?
We need you! Join the auction committee and join the fun.
No need to be a PTA member to participate!
Portland Mini Makers Market
It's the 4th annual Mini Makers Market PDX, featuring youth artisans from the Portland area.
Taking place on Saturday, February 28th from 11am-2pm at Woodstock Elementary in SE Portland,
this event features youth artisans (18 and under). We have space for over 80 vendors and always get a good turnout of shoppers. The event has been a great success and we are thrilled to do it again this year. Applications for the 2026 market are open now through until January 18th.
Details (including the application) can be found on our google site here: https://sites.google.com/view/minimakerspdx/home.
If you are interested in volunteering in the school, help chaperone a field trip visit or school event please make sure to submit your background check: https://www.pps.net/volunteer