Duniway Dispatch
August 17, 2026
📅 Calendar
August 24: Welcome Back Meet and Greet, 8-9 a.m. on the Grassy Median at SE Reed College Place by the Main Entrance
August 26: Grades 1 through 5 - First day of school
August 31: Kindergarten - First day of school
September 16: Early Release Day - all students dismissed at 11:50 a.m.
September 17-18: Picture Days
September 24: Duniway Back to School Night, 6-7:30 p.m.
September 25: The Duniway Open Golf Tournament
💬 Principal's Message
Hello Families,
Happy Monday and I hope you all enjoyed a great weekend. Hopefully you all received an e-mail today with your child's teacher placement for this coming school year (please check your spam folders in case the e-mail landed there). I know that this is an exciting time thinking about the school year about to start. We hope you can all make it out next Monday morning for our Teacher Meet and Greet from 8am-9am in front of the school. Please read this Dispatch below with more information about the start of the school year. I hope you have a great week!
Sincerely,
John Melvin
📚 School Supplies
We are continuing the Duniway tradition of having families donate funds to the school to allow for our staff to purchase the required supplies for the entire school year, rather than students bringing their own supplies. We are recommending a $50 per student school supply donation. If you are able, there is also an option to sponsor another student.
Please click SCHOOL SUPPLY FEE to pay your 2026-27 school supply donation(s).
If you would rather pay with cash or check (made payable to Duniway PTA), you can bring it to the office by ringing the buzzer by the main entrance on SE Reed College Place on school days between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
If you haven't done so already, please join our community on Konstella. Konstella is a platform provided to us by the PTA to help connect parents, volunteer for school activities, and keep up to date on community events and activities. Link to Join Konstella.
🥪 🏀 Hiring Two Part-Time Duty Support Positions at Duniway
Exciting news! We have two open positions for part-time "Temporary Duty Support" here at Duniway. The job starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 12:35 p.m. each school day.
The Temporary Duty Support position provides student supervision and safety support during non-instructional periods of the school day. This role supports smooth school operations by monitoring recess and lunch activities and reinforcing positive behavior expectations.
For more information on the position and how to apply, please click the link to the job description.
Play a round of golf for a great cause - registration is live!
Join the greater Duniway community on Friday, September 25th at 9am for a round of golf raising funds for the Duniway PTA. You don't want to miss out on this epic event full of prizes, competition, drinks from local sponsors, and memories in the making!
- Your registration includes 18 holes of golf, range balls, golf cart, lunch, drink ticket, and a commemorative hat
- Prizes for contests (KPs, Long Drive, Straight Drive, Long Putt, Best Dressed Team) and division winners (gross, net, ladies, co-ed, alumni, senior)
- Parents, grandparents, neighbors, alumni, and supporters of Duniway are welcome!
- More information and FAQs at www.duniwayopen.com
Thank you to the generous sponsors of The 2026 Duniway Open for supporting the Duniway Elementary PTA:
GoSports, Oregon City Subaru, Sebastiano's, PDX Sliders, Ate-Oh-Ate, Green Drop Garage, Trico General Contractors, Unitus Community Credit Union, EC Electric, Heiberg Garbage & Recycling, Portland Family Dentistry, Martin Haugh Financial, Westmoreland Ace Hardware, Country Financial-Scott Bennett, Moreland Neighborhood Dental, Zenbu Lounge, Proper Pint, Headwaters Automation, Scott Brennan-State Farm, CertaPro Painters of Portland, Moving Forward Staying Present, Prema Yoga, Smitty's Taphouse, NW Golf Guys, Pure Green Juice Bar, AllRight Beer, Brew Dr. Kombucha
🐲 Welcome Back to School from the Duniway Foundation
Hello Duniway Families!
We are right around the corner from back-to-school! While it’s always a little bittersweet to see summer come to an end, we’re excited to be back together with our teachers, friends, and new classrooms. We hope you’re enjoying these last few weeks of summer!
We Need You!
The Duniway Foundation is looking for new board members, including a new President, to help steward these projects and help shape the future of our school. As a Foundation we look forward to partnering with the PTA in many ways as we did last year. Board meetings are every 3rd Tuesday at the Duniway Library.
Whether you have a passion for education, finance, the arts, sports, fundraising, community building, or simply making Duniway an amazing place for our kids, there is a place for you.
Since 1997, our volunteer board has dedicated countless hours, large and small, to helping Duniway Elementary bridge gaps in education and enrichment. We are excited about what’s ahead, but we can’t do it without our community.
Interested in getting involved? Please fill out THIS FORM to tell us a little about your interests and how you might like to help.
What Your Support Made Possible
Last year, the Duniway Foundation closed out the year with a big bang at Live from the ’90s, our community auction featuring so many of our amazing teachers and staff. We filled the Duniway Green with food carts, sign-up parties, music, and energy, then brought the excitement into the Duniway Auditorium for an evening filled with generosity and fun. Let’s do it again!!
Because our community showed up in so many ways, we’re able to continue investing in our students and school:
OMSI Outdoor School: Funding is secured for the 2026–27 (funded in 2025), 2027–28, and 2028–29 fifth-grade classes. Last year’s fifth graders had an incredible experience thanks to our community’s generosity!
Educational Assistant: We continue to fund a part-time Educational Assistant to support students and teachers.
Reading Results: We’re helping support the continuation of Reading Results at Duniway in partnership with the PTA, this would not be at Duniway without your contributions.
Instructional Support: Our volunteer program connects trained volunteers with classrooms to provide consistent support in reading and math.Last year with our community's help we brought in over 700 hours of support in 22 weeks with 31 volunteers! Learn more and SIGN UP HERE.
Reading & Math Enrichment: We’re excited to fund a teacher-led program providing additional reading and math support for our students.
Capital Improvements: We’re beginning some exciting long-term projects, including planning for a covered basketball court, reducing the heat index by removing asphalt, and improvements to our auditorium so we can better showcase student performances, including our new Spring Play!
Classroom Art: Continuing our collaborative classroom art experience, bringing parents into classrooms, celebrating student artwork with a pop up museum day in our south gym, and hosting an art opening where families can purchase original pieces and prints. The proceeds help fund enrichment, education, and beauty at Duniway.
We are so excited about the possibilities for the year ahead and can’t wait to share what’s next with you. Let’s go, Dragons! 🐉
With gratitude,
Andrea Angell
The Duniway Foundation
🏃 Save the Date: Duniway’s Annual Fund Run is Friday, Oct 2!
This year, Duniway’s Annual Fund Run will take place in early October, giving our students the chance to kick off the school year by running, jogging, and walking to support Duniway. We’ll also be bringing back the Duniway Parent Classic for its third year, inviting parents and caregivers to join us for a run/jog at the end of the day. Stay tuned for more details on how to donate, rally friends and family to make pledges, and volunteer. We're looking forward to cheering our Dragons on for this yearly tradition that plays a critical role in fundraising for Duniway.
📌 Be sure you've read the special Welcome Back edition of the Duniway Dispatch!
This special edition includes information on:
- Key Dates
- School Supplies
- Daily Schedule
- Arrival and Dismissal Map
- School Bus Action Item
- Early Release Dates
- Reporting Absences, Late Arrivals, Early Pickups, and Changes to Dismissal Plans
- Communication Methods at Duniway
- Tips on Clothing and Belongings
- ParentVue and Yearly Verification
- Volunteering at Duniway
- Personal Electronic Device Policy
- Nutrition Services at Duniway
- Handy Links