LEWIS ELEMENTARY NEWS

EVERY SCHOOL DAY COUNTS. “Did you know?" As of March 30, the percentage of Lewis students with good attendance is 83%. That means we’ve reached our 2025-2026 attendance goal! 🎉 🌟 Congratulations to all the Lewis families who helped us reach our goal! 🎉 🌟 The percentage of Lewis students with good attendance is 14% over the district average of 69%. Let’s make sure we maintain our amazing attendance in our fourth and final quarter.

Thursday, April 2nd - Bottle Drop! Drop off blue bags outside main doors 7:45-8:15am

Friday, April 3rd - NO School - Grading Day

Saturday, April 4th - NO Garden Party

Monday, April 6th - NO School - Teacher Planning Day

Tuesday, April 7th - PTA General Meeting 6:30-7:30pm

Thursday, April 9th - Connect to Kinder 5:30-7pm

Friday, April 10th - Final call for Yearbook Photos / Caregiver Coffee after drop off in the cafeteria

School Dance 5:30-7:30pm

Saturday, April 11th - Garden Party Power Hour 9-10am

April 13th - 17th - Spirit week (See below for details)

Wednesday, April 15 - Auction Artwork Due!

Friday, April 17th - Free Popcorn Friday after school on the blacktop

Saturday, April 18th - Garden Party Power Hour 9-10am

Thursday, April 23rd - Art Night 5:30-7pm

Saturday, April 25th - Garden Party Power Hour 9-10am

Wednesday, April 29 - Lewis Dines Out at Double Mountain All Day!

Friday, May 1 - Lewis Auction 5:30-8:30pm

Tuesday, May 5 - PTA General Meeting and Board Elections 6:30-7:30pm

Please tell your friends and neighbors about our upcoming Connect to Kinder event on April 9th from 5:30-7pm

We want to hear from you about changes that resulted from the opening of Kellogg Middle School in 2021, as well as the boundary, program moves and school configuration changes that were started in 2023. The changes are sometimes referred to as recommendations from the Southeast Guiding Coalition process, SEGC for short. Portland Public Schools is partnering with Dr. Terrance Green and his team to learn about families’ experiences in schools impacted by SEGC changes.

You are invited to an in-person or virtual community conversation, which will be a welcoming space to share your family’s experiences and help PPS understand what is working well and what support may be needed.

What we will talk about

The conversation will focus on your family’s experiences with:

• Access to and participation in various programs and electives (including Dual Language Immersion, where applicable)

• Your family’s sense of belonging, welcome, and inclusion at school

• The ways the school and programs honor and support your family’s language, culture, and identity

What to expect

We will begin with brief opening remarks and then move into small-group conversations with guiding questions. Facilitators will circulate to support discussion, and families will have multiple ways to share input.

Language access

We plan to provide interpreters for Spanish, Russian, Chinese (Mandarin), Vietnamese, and Somali languages and we will translate materials into these languages. When you register, please indicate your preferred language.

Event details

In-person: Saturday April 11 between 10 AM and 1 PM

Virtual: Wednesday April 8 at 6:00 PM

Please complete this interest form linked below by 5:00 PM Friday April 3, if you would like to participate. We will use this form to build the focus group sessions that are accessible and representative of impacted families. If you are selected to participate, we will send specific details about the focus groups.

Interest Forms:

• 中文: Chinese

• Русский: Russian

• English

• Español: Spanish

• Somali

• Tiếng Việt: Vietnamese

We will provide light meals and childcare for families who attend in-person. Registration is required in advance so we can prepare enough food, language and childcare support.

Your privacy and choice

Participation is completely voluntary. When PPS shares what we learn, we will summarize feedback into overall themes and will not connect comments to individual people or families.

If you have any questions, please contact Margaret Calvert at mcalvert@pps.net.

Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective and help strengthen our schools.

A few weeks ago we had Timber Joey from The Portland Timbers come for an assembly and read with our students. Timber Joey had such a great time he sent Principal Froehlich a link to share with all of you to get free tickets to a Timbers 2 game. I hope you find time to take your family to a game. Use this link to get your tickets.

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

Author/Illustrator Mike Lawrence presented to our 3rd - 5th grade students yesterday and captivated the audience with a brief, but memorable read aloud of his newest graphic novel that ended with a cliffhanger. If your student is interested in a signed copy of his newest book, The Lionharts, please express your interest to Lisa Tegethoff, ltegethoff@pps.net. We have a limited number of copies available for purchase at $17.99 each. First come, first served.

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:

• "I remember her always wearing bright dresses". -Elliot

Birdie's Place

"A hummingbird is sacred in many cultures, always symbolizing good luck, joy, and beauty."

Spring has sprung in the Lewis garden! If you haven't had a chance to go back and look, a HUGE transformation has taken place since the start of school and especially since the end of spring break. The before and afters of the garden show all the hard work Lewis families, friends and teachers have put into this space to make it more usable for students. Molly Stiles has led the way with not only securing a garden grant but organizing the weekly garden party power hours to help her vision come to life. Molly would like to thank: Elaine and Aster Bettzig, Katie, Dan, Henry and Oliver Caplan, Molly Hogan and Honora Beasley, the entire Stiles family (Ryan, Maisy, Van and Beau) for their hard work and dedication this fall and spring!

Evin Aksay and the garden club have also been hard at work this year beautifying not only the back garden but also the rain garden on the blacktop and the Kindergarten beds. A special thank you to Ahmet Celik for pressure washing the walkway over spring break as well!

Photo Deadline EXTENDED until April 10, 2026! Click here to access the google drive and upload your photos today!

Ready to make a difference in the vibrant and fun community events at Lewis? Want to play a bigger role in building and strengthening our amazing school community? Step up and join the Lewis PTA Board! The nominating committee is seeking interested people for the following board positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Fundraising Chair, Communications Chair, Auditor and Member at Large. Please email the Nominating Committee at nomcomm@lewispta.org, and let us know what position you are interested in, the names of your student(s) and their grades (if applicable), and a member of the nominating committee will reach out to you. Additionally, if you know someone who may be interested in the PTA Board, please let us know. This is a great opportunity to become more involved with our special community and grow the PTA. Board elections will take place during the May 5th general meeting.

Not a member of the Lewis PTA? You can join here: https://www.oregonpta.org/membership.

Click here to access the google drive and upload your photos today!

Showcase your creativity and support Lewis by donating your art to the 2026 Auction! Don't let this opportunity fly by! Art Submission Deadline has been extended until April 15th!

Love to decorate? Have an half an hour to spare to hand out snacks during this fun event? Or prefer to close things down and clean up? Lots of fun opportunities to volunteer for the dance below:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E4EAAA62AA0F49-63000042-lewis

Get Your Applications In!

Portland Parks Preschool applications open today!

Portland Parks Preschool | Community Centers | Preschool For All | Find a Park

Apply For Portland Parks Preschool:

April 1 through April 30

Portland Parks & Recreation is excited to share that applications for Portland Parks Preschool for the 2026–2027 school year will be open today and are available through April 30.

Our preschool programs provide a welcoming, play-based learning environment where children build social skills, confidence, creativity, and a love of learning while preparing for kindergarten.

How To Register

Enrollment is based on a lottery managed through Multnomah County’s Preschool for All program. Families can apply April 1–30 at Multnomah County Preschool for All or with help from a Family Navigator once the application opens. Applications will reopen later in the summer.

Locations And Program Times

East Portland

• East Portland Community Center: Monday through Friday | 9am to 3pm
• Montavilla Community Center: Monday through Friday | 8:45am to 2:45pm

North Portland

• Charles Jordan Community Center: Monday through Friday | 9am to 3pm
• Peninsula Park Community Center: Monday through Friday | 9:15am to 3:15pm
• St. Johns Community Center: Monday through Friday | 9am to 3pm

Northeast Portland

• Matt Dishman Community Center: Monday through Friday | 9am to 3pm

Southeast Portland

• Mt. Scott Community Center: Monday through Friday | 9am to 3pm
• Woodstock Community Center: Monday through Friday | 8:45am to 2:45pm

Southwest Portland

• Southwest Community Center: Monday through Friday | 9am to 3pm

We look forward to welcoming your family to Portland Parks Preschool.

Portland Parks Preschool | 503-444-0682 | krisit.lilly@portlandoregon.gov

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