DOLPHIN DIGEST 8/6/2026
Weekly Newsletter by Arleta School and Arleta PTA
WELCOME TO ARLETA'S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER!
We’re so glad to have you as part of our school community!
This weekly newsletter is developed and sent in partnership between school administration and the PTA. If you have information you'd like shared in the newsletter, please email it to ArletaSchoolPTA@gmail.com. Keep scrolling for the latest.
INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge Portland rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla and many other Tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River. #HonorNativeLand https://youtu.be/ETOhNzBsiKA
COMMUNITY CARE DAY - AUG 15
Arleta Community Care Day is the first big school event of the year! Our PTA sponsors the event, bringing parents, kids, snacks, coffee, shovels, rakes, and loppers together in a seamless ballet of overhaul gardening. But seriously, it's a community-filled, snacks-and-caffeine-powered event where we make sure that the grounds are a welcoming and vibrant space for our kids to come back to. You'll see a lot of friends and it really is a good time!
This year Community Care Day is on August 15th, from 9am-12pm. Please watch for Community Care Day announcements through Konstella, Facebook, and Instagram! We hope to see you there.
GET YOUR BACKGROUND CHECK IN TO BE ABLE TO VOLUNTEER AT THE SCHOOL
Chaperoning field trips, handing out water at the Dolphin Dash, helping out in the classroom, monitoring lunch and recess, and all other volunteer activities require a background check through PPS to help keep everyone safe. Luckily, it's as easy as one-two-three! Review the code of conduct and volunteer training online, and submit your background check through a simple form by clicking here! Join us in an Arleta parent run teacher support model by clicking here
STREET MURAL PROJECT INSTALLATION - AUG 30
Help us bring creativity to our community this summer! We’re building excitement and raising funds for a vibrant street art project near Arleta Elementary that we will install during a community block party on August 30th, 2026.
We are building off momentum from a summer 2026 PBOT project to make SE Steele/Mitchell streets into a new neighborhood greenway. We will add our own colorful street mural art on SE 66th to enhance bicycle safety, celebrate our local Foster/Mt Scott community, Arleta Elementary Dolphin pride, and brighten the neighborhood. You can see the planned mockup in the picture for this blurb!
Your support will help cover materials and will create opportunities for kids to be part of the process. Every contribution—big or small—helps turn this shared space into something inspiring for everyone. Contributions can be in the form of time, energy, organization, or financial support.
Questions? Ready to help? Email ArletaStreetArtProject@gmail.com
GIRLS ON THE RUN SEEKS COACHES (SEASON STARTS IN AUGUST)
Arleta hopes to bring the nonprofit, Girls on the Run, for a third time to Arleta, this fall, and we need your help!
The program is open to all girls in third through fifth grade. Volunteer coaches teach lessons in walking and running, along with lessons in building confidence, fostering friendships, self-love and self-care, and social problem-solving skills. At the end of the season, the team competes in a 5k run and a Community Impact Project. The goal is to experience a sense of connection and belonging, as a team.
This fall, we will need 2-3 new volunteer coaches. Outgoing coach Lisa Hugelier (who is taking a year off), will be on hand to get you started and answer questions and Girls on the Run will provide a coach training session. No experience coaching is necessary. You don't even have to be a runner. You just need to enjoy working with kids and want to help these girls develop confidence and compassion.
The season runs from September 21 - November 13 with the culminating 5K on November 25th (tentatively). There would be two 1 1/2 hr practices each week. Typically, they run from 2:45-4:15 M/W, but we could adjust days and times if needed. Please reach out to Lisa Hugelier, lisa.hugelier@gmail.com, or Katje Chiller, katchiller@gmail.com, if you are interested or if you have questions!
LEAP INTO KINDERGARTEN- AUG 10, 11, 17, 18
Leap into Kindergarten is an optional summer program to help you and your child have a great start to school. Families are encouraged to attend all four sessions! Students will practice school routines and , while parents/caregivers will connect with other families. Students and families will practice and get ready for reading and writing in Kindergarten. Snacks are provided and there will be a special school Community Guest each session. If your interested, contact school secretary Nicole Francois at nfrancois@pps.net or 503-916-6330. This year, Leap Into Kindergarten dates are August 10, 11, 17, and 18, from 9am-11am. Click here for flyers about the program.
NEW STUDENT OPEN HOUSE - AUGUST 13
We're offering a casual opportunity for students who will be new to Arleta as 1st-5th graders* to meet up and have a short school tour on August 13 from 5pm-6pm. *Incoming kindergartners are also welcome.
We'll meet in the Arleta Breezeway (start at SE 66th; walk down the sidewalk between the main building and the annex). We'll start out with a chance for new students and families to meet each other, sharing names and grades, then go on a short tour to the parts of the school that match the grade levels of students present. We're excited to welcome new families and students to our Arleta Community!
Please share this with any families you know who are attending Arleta for the first time next school year.
If your child is currently attending Arleta and you'd like to volunteer at the Open House to help welcome new families, please email the Arleta PTA at arletaschoolpta@gmail.com.
INCOMING KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE ICE CREAM SOCIAL - AUG 21
Each year Arleta holds an ice cream social to welcome incoming kindergarteners and bring kindergarten and first grade families together! This year, the Incoming Kindergarten and First Grade Ice Cream Social is Friday, August 21, from 4-5pm. All incoming first graders are welcome to attend with their families, and please share this invitation with any incoming kindergarten families you know!
CATCH UP ON YOUR VACCINES
Immunizations are among the most effective and cost efficient ways to prevent vaccine-preventable disease and protect the health of the public.
Here is a link to fill our your child's Oregon Certificate of Immunization Status to track your child's immunizations!
Here is a link to see more about immunization requirements and immunization rates per school, per school year.
If you have difficulty accessing immunization for your child, please consider the following available resources!
Multnomah County’s Year-Round Immunization Clinics
- All children ages 5-18 can get free vaccines at any location
- Located at local high schools, but a student doesn’t need to attend school there to get care
- We accept all types of insurance and serve the uninsured
Student Health Centers provide many services including:
- COVID-19 vaccines and testing
- Routine physical exams, including sports physicals
- Early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of illness and injury
- Vision, dental, and blood pressure screenings
- Immunizations
- Mental health services
- Age-appropriate reproductive health
- Routine lab tests
- Prescription medications
- Health education, counseling, and wellness promotion
- Fitness and nutrition education and counseling
- Referrals for health care services not provided at the clinics
- Low or no-cost vaccinations for children, including uninsured
- Call 503-988-5558 to make a new patient appointment
ATTENDING SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS
The School Board meets regularly at the school district's Dr. Matthew Prophet Education Center (Prophet Center), 501 N. Dixon Street, at 6:00 pm on select Tuesdays of each month - and on certain other occasions. Some scheduling changes do occur; if you plan to attend, please see below for the upcoming public meeting notices.
Under the provision of ORS 192.670 all meetings will be live-streamed at http://www.youtube.com/@ppsboardofeducation/live, except for those meetings that fall under the provisions set forth for executive sessions.
To subscribe to email notifications of public meeting notices, email kbradshaw@pps.net to request to be added to the email list. After an email address has been subscribed to the mailing list, a notice of a Public Meeting of the School Board will be sent before each scheduled meeting.
Email: ArletaSchoolPTA@gmail.com
Website: arletapta.org
Location: 5109 SE 66th Avenue
Phone: 503-916-6330
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArletaElementaryK5