Capitol Hill Weekly Update

Dear families,

As Portland Public Schools navigates a challenging budget process, I would like to encourage our community to stay informed, engage thoughtfully, and advocate with state legislators for strong public school funding. These decisions involve difficult tradeoffs, and we approach this moment with deep care for our students, families, and colleagues, grounded in our Capitol Hill values of Inclusivity and Kindness, Respect and Honesty, Safety and Wellbeing, and a Growth Mindset.

Portland Public Schools has launched a 2026–27 Budget Process webpage to help families understand how the district is planning for the coming school year. PPS is facing a projected $50 million budget shortfall due to rising costs, limited state and federal funding, and declining enrollment. The site explains these challenges in clear, accessible language and outlines steps already taken over several years to reduce costs while prioritizing students and classrooms.

Families can use the webpage as a central hub to learn how budget decisions are made and how to engage in the process, including a budget engagement calendar, short videos, FAQs, and advocacy resources. Upcoming sessions are scheduled throughout January, including a Budget Engagement Session at Ida B. Wells High School on January 22 from 6–7 p.m. A full list of dates, times, and locations is available on the 2026–27 Budget Engagement Calendar on the PPS website.

As a school community, we remain confident in the strength of our skilled educators, the care and commitment of our families, and the power of community engagement to guide us through challenging moments. If you have questions or would like to talk more about this process, please don’t hesitate to reach out—we value your partnership and your voice.

In service to students,

Febe Armendariz

Principal

farmenda@pps.net

We have some wonderful events coming up next month and this spring and we are looking for some volunteers to make these events happen.

School Dance Feb 20th

We are looking for the following roles to help with our school dance: Co-Lead, 1 person to buy refreshments, 2 people for setup, 4 people for refreshment table, & 2 people for clean up. Please click here to sign up.

OBOB Volunteers

We have our Capitol Hill OBOB competition coming up and we are looking for a few volunteers to help with the battles. We are looking for the following volunteers. Please click here to sign up.

Monday February 2nd 11:25-11:45

Room 201 Scorekeeper

Extra Help #2

Tuesday February 3rd 11:25-11:45

Extra Help #2

Wednesday February 4th 11:25-11:45

Room 201 Scorekeeper

Extra Help #1

Extra Help #2

Thursday February 5th 11:25-11:45

Extra Help #1

Extra Help #2

Wednesday February 18th (After School 2:30-5:15 ish)

Room 107 Scorekeeper-- needed until around 4:15

Room 201 Scorekeeper--- needed until around 4:45

Room 113 Scorekeeper-- needed until around 4:15

Art Room Adults (3) 2:30-3:45

Art Room Adults (3) 3:45-5:05 ish

Auction Volunteers

Our biggest fundraising event of the year is coming up this spring and we need volunteers to help prepare for this event. We are looking for the following volunteers: Grade Level (K thru 5) Art Piece Leads, Raffle Coordinator, Technology: Payment Portal & E-wallet logistics, Graphic Designer, In Person Auction Lead, Online Auction Lead and Donation Procurement. Please click here to sign up or for more information on each role.

If you have any questions please reach out to Tabitha Ames & Jean-Francois Ortiz at volunteer@capitolhillpta.org

This is a reminder that the OBOB Pool Play Battles and Tournament are quickly approaching!

This year the schedule looks a little different:

Pool Play Battles: February 2-9 during lunch recess (11:15am - 11:45am)

Tournament: February 18 (2:30pm - 5:15pm-ish)

OBOB Supporters (parents, guardians, family members) are welcome to come support OBOB teams during the Pool Play Battles and Tournament! Remember that you will need to check in at the office prior to viewing the Pool Play Battles so please allow enough time to do so.

If you are interested in volunteering during any of the Pool Play Battles and/or Tournament and you haven't already signed up, or if you have any OBOB questions/comments, please reach out directly to Heather (cemandthegirl@gmail.com) or Marianne (mariannemajors@gmail.com) or the school's OBOB representative, Ms. Marienburg.

Lost & found items will be donated to the Clothing Closet next Friday so please come check out our stash before then. All items with names on them will be returned.

Tuesday: Orange Chicken with Brown Rice

Wednesday: Chicken Tenders

Thursday: Cheese or Pepperoni Pizza

Friday: Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Tomato Soup

Here is the link for the page that has monthly menus:
https://www.pps.net/departments/nutrition-services/menus

Our school year calendar has all of the important school-related dates for your reference.

1/19-No School (MLK Holiday)
1/26 &1/27-No School (Grading & Planning Days)

Reminder: When picking up students early please make sure you (or whomever is picking them up) brings their ID so we can check to make sure you are approved to pick up the student.

Capitol Hill Weekly Update

1/16/26

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Message from the Principal Message from the Principal

Volunteer Opportunities Volunteer Opportunities

OBOB Teams and Supporters OBOB Teams and Supporters

Lost & Found Lost & Found

Lunch Menu Lunch Menu

Upcoming Events Upcoming Events

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