LEWIS ELEMENTARY NEWS

Dear Lewis Families and Caregivers,

Time is moving fast! It feels like Back to School Night was just a few weeks ago, but before any more time slips by, I want to give a huge shout-out to our wonderful PTA for partnering with us to turn the evening into such a fantastic community gathering. It was great connecting with so many of you, and I am looking forward to all the community events we have planned as the school year progresses.

Speaking of upcoming events, our next big school-wide gathering is the Jog-a-Thon on Friday, October 2nd! This is one of our primary fundraisers of the year, directly supporting our Celebrate Lewis programs and events.

• https://lewis-jog-a-thon.cheddarup.com — Feel free to share this link with family and friends to help support our school!

On a personal note, I’ve been fitting in a few weekend runs to prepare. Back in my younger teaching days, I used to challenge my class to beat my lap count. These days, I’ll be jogging right alongside each group to offer high-fives and encouragement instead!

Thank you for your ongoing support, and we hope to see you there cheering on our runners next week.

One more thing: I found out two new pieces of information regarding school consolidation.

1. Scenarios will be published the week of October 5th.

2. There will be two scenarios.

A student who had a 92% attendance rate last year missed 14 school days (nearly 3 weeks of school) and 86 hours of instruction. Students who have 95% or higher attendance rates are much more likely to reach grade level benchmarks.

Thursday, September 24th - Bottle drop pick up 7:45-8:15am

Saturday, September 26th - Garden Work Party 10-12pm

Wednesday, September 30th - Lewis Dines Out! @Double Mountain

Friday, October 2nd - Jog-a-thon/5th Grade Lewis Concert Band Starts

Tuesday, October 6th - Picture Day mydorian.com

Wednesday, October 7th - International Walk & Roll

Thursday, October 8th - Bottle drop pick up 7:45-8:15am

Friday, October 9th - No School

Wednesday, October 14th - Author Visit for grades 3-5

Thursday, October 15th - Bottle drop pick up 7:45-8:15am/The Great Shakeout Earthquake Drill

Wednesday, October 21st - Early Release @11:50am

Friday, October 23rd - Trunk or Treat Event 5-7pm

Wednesday, October 28th - Lewis Dines Out @Double Mountain

Thursday, October 29th - NO School for students (Grading Day)

Friday, October 30th - NO School for students (Planning Day)

Portland Author and Spirit Award Winner Rosanne Parry will be visiting with our 3rd through 5th graders on October 14th to talk to students about her newest book, A Raven of the Rainforest. See the flyer below for more information on how to purchase a copy signed by the author or to apply for one of a limited number of book scholarships, compliments of the Lewis PTA!

If you missed the Lewis tote bag sale at Back to School Night, they are still available for purchase in the office.

1 bag for $3 or 2 for $5.

We have seen a peak in head lice cases. Prevention focuses on avoiding head-to-head contact, wearing hair up, and weekly checks, Head lice are tiny, crawling insects that live in the hair on your head. They lay eggs and bite your scalp, making it itchy. Lice are most common in younger or school-aged kids. Lice are treatable with special shampoos, creams or lotions.

https://www.cdc.gov/lice/about/head-lice.html

Building On A Successful Back to School Night!

Many thanks for all you did to make Back to School Night a success. Whether you:

• Volunteered at the pizza or t-shirt tables

• Bought food or swag

• Picnicked

• Chatted with another caregiver

• Visited a classroom

…you celebrated and contributed to our amazing Lewis community.

If you’re feeling energized and looking to help, there are also multiple opportunities in the coming weeks such as:

• Popcorn Fridays (sign up to volunteer!) - started last week

• Jog-a-thon (sign up to volunteer!) - 10/2

• Trunk-or-Treat and Dia de los Muertos (join the committee!)

Check your calendars! Trunk-or-Treat will be the evening of Friday, 10/23 – not Saturday, 10/24 as was printed on your green Family Calendar – and our Celebración Día de los Muertos will tentatively be the first weekend of November. You can always find the latest dates and times at lewispta.org/calendar

All Your Jog-a-thon Information

On October 2nd, Lewis students will participate in the annual jog-a-thon. This event needs three ingredients to be successful:

1. Kids running

2. Volunteers

3. Pledges

We are aiming to raise at least $18,000 to fund critical programming throughout the year, so please think of friends, family, neighbors, and others who might consider a pledge and share that link with them. No pledge is too small.

Paper forms will soon be coming home with your students, but please encourage people to donate online if they are able and willing. It’s significantly easier to track our progress online, and allows us to process the money much more quickly.

Join A District Listening Session on Right-Sizing

As we all know, the district is in the process of deciding which schools it will close to ensure a balanced budget and adequate services across buildings. There are a variety of sessions you can attend; a complete schedule is here: https://www.pps.net/about/portland-public-schools-information/rightsize/calendar

If you attend and choose to speak, we hope you will echo the PTA’s adopted position, celebrate Lewis, and speak from your heart about our school community.

What’s Lewis PTA?

If you're a caregiver for a Lewis Elementary student, you belong in Lewis PTA! Check out the brand new lewispta.org website to learn more or sign up here 👉https://my.cheddarup.com/c/join-lewis-pta/

Multilingual Community Conversation

Wednesday, September 23rd

6:00–8:00 p.m.

Virtual via Zoom (Please RSVP to receive the Zoom link)

This virtual conversation is specifically designed for families who prefer to participate in a language other than English. Interpretation will be available in Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Somali and Russian so families can learn about rightsizing, ask questions and share feedback in their preferred language.

View the Multilingual Community Conversation Flyer | RSVP

Black/African American Community Conversation

Thursday, September 24th

6:00–8:00 p.m.

Self Enhancement, Inc.

Black and African American students, families and community members are invited to come together for a conversation about rightsizing and the future of PPS. Participants will have an opportunity to hear the latest information, ask questions and share the priorities and experiences they want considered throughout this process. View the Black/African American Community Conversation Flyer | RSVP

Your voice matters.

Rightsizing will affect communities across PPS, and community engagement is an important part of the process. These conversations are opportunities to listen, learn, ask questions and ensure the experiences of our students and families are part of what district leaders hear and consider. We hope you’ll join us and help spread the word to others in your community.

In Community,

PPS Family and Community Engagement Team

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