DOLPHIN DIGEST 9/25/2025
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
LAST WEEK TO FILL OUT THE PTA SURVEY
Have something you love about Arleta and its community?
See something you wish was different?
Have a cool idea for the school?
CELEBRATE NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH PAST AND PRESENT
In week one of our celebration we featured some museums and music and in week two we featured some recipes and crafts. Now it's time to talk people! National Hispanic Heritage Month is a wonderful time to celebrate the many Latine scientists, artists, and movers and shakers who have shaped both our nation and the world at large. This week, let's learn about the people in our community, in our country, and in our world who have a big impact!
Portland is home to an amazing Latine community, and nonprofits and businesses are important centers of the community. Some of the amazing Latine organizations in Portland include:
The businesses in Mercatus' Somos Latinx Guide
Teatro Milagro
Latino Network
-Read this great article on Oregon Metro's website about Latino Network's Ballet Folklórico, and see a list of other Ballet Folklórico troupes nearby at the end of the article:
Oregon Latino Health Coalition
Instituto de Cultura y Arte in Xochitl in Cuicatl
Beyond our own local community there are so many Latinos who have made a big impact on the world. Here are a 60 Latinos and Latino-Americans whose lives and accomplishments you can explore with your child.
Scientists
Albert Baez, co-inventor of the x-ray reflection microscope and father of singer/songwriter Joan Baez.
France A Córdova, Irish-Mexican-American Astrophysicist
Ynes Mexia, Mexican-American social-worker turned botanist who discovered 500 species of plants
Lydia Villa-Komaroff, Mexican-American biologist who discovered a way to make bacteria make insulin
Carlos Juan Finlay, Cuban doctor and the first to suggest Yellow Fever was transmitted by mosquito bite
Juan M. Maldacena, Argentinian-American physicist
Mario Molina, Mexican Chemist and Nobel Prize Winner
Ellen Ochoa, Astronaut
Franklin R. Chang Diaz, Astronaut.
Fernando Caldiero, Astronaut
José Hernández, Astronaut
Sarah Stewart, Mexican-American microbiologist who discovered viruses can cause cancer
Luis Frederico Leloir, Argentinian physician, chemist, and Nobel Prize winner
César Milstein, Argentinian microbiologist and Nobel Prize Winner
Dr. Gabriela Gonzalez, astronomer and director of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics
Dr. Dení Ramírez Marcías, Mexican marine biologist
Maria Elena Botazzi, Honduran-American microbiologist
Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski, Cuban-American theoretical physicist
Artists
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Mexican feminist and poet
Adela Zamudio, Bolivian feminist, educator and poet
Joan Baez, Mexican-American singer/songwriter and activist
Isabelle Allende, Chilean writer
Fernando Botero, Colombian artist
Chabuca Granda, Peruvian singer, composer, and poet
Selena Quintanilla Pérez, American Tejano Singer
Flora Tristán, French-Peruvian writer, activist, and feminist
Paquita la del Barrio, Mexican singer, songwriter, and actress
Mario Moreno (Cantinflas), Mexican comedian, filmmaker, and actor
Yma Sumac, Peruvian coloratura soprano
Violeta Parra, Chilean singer-songwriter, ethnomusicologist, folklorist, and visual artist
Gabriela Mistral, Chilean Nobel Prize winner in Literature
María Felix, Mexican Actress
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Haitian-Puertorican-American artist
Rufino Tamayo, Mexican artist
Gabriel Garcia Márquez, Colombian novelist and Nobel Prize winner in Literature
Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón (Quino), Argentinian cartoonist
Sammy Davis Jr. African American Cubano singer and entertainer
Anthony Quinn, Mexican American actor
Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter
Diego Rivera, Mexican muralist and painter
Astor Piazzolla, Argentinian classical composter
Desi Arnaz, Cuban-American actor and singer
María Izquierdo, Mexican painter
Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan writer
Sixto Rodriguez, Mexican-American singer/songwriter whose albums, obscure in the US, became anthems of the efforts to overthrow apartheid in South Africa.
Julia Alvarez, Dominican-American writer
Lin Manuel Miranda, Puertorican-American composer, writer, and actor
Rita Moreno, Puertorican-American actress and dancer
Politicians, Activists, Teachers, and Athletes
Guy Galbadon, WWII Chicano soldier who negotiated the surrender of over 1,500 Japanese soldiers, including 800 soldiers at the Battle of Saipon, widely considered the largest by a single soldier in U.S. history. He was eighteen at the time.
Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, leader of the Mexican War for Independence
The Mirabal Sisters, Dominican Republic activists
Túpac Amaru II, Peruvian rebellion leader
Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Guatemalan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Simón Bolivar, Venezuelan military and political leader who was instrumental in independence for multiple South and Central American countries
Benito Juarez, Mexico's first indigenous President
Sylvia Rivera, Puerto Rican-Venezuelan-American activist
Sylvia Mendez, Mexican Puerto-Rican American activist
Marta Vieira da Silva, Brazilian footballer
Pele, Brazilian footballer
For even more resources, check out Colorado Public Radio's list of eighteen Latino classical music composers you should know besides Piazzolla, this BBC list of the best Latin American composters of all time, NPR's World Cafe's restrospective here, and University of Washington's history of Latinos and Seattle's Civil Rights movement! For a longer list of Latine astronauts, please click here for a two-page NASA brochure filled with bios!
BEAT THE BELL
For the week of September 15th, Arleta had a 92% attendance rate (down from 93% the week before) and 116 tardies (up from 93 tardies the week before).
Looking for some tips to help you get out of the door on time? Check back here each week for ideas.
This week's tips:
- Buddy up with a neighbor family.
- Eat on the run: toast, dry Eggo, banana, pbj, granola bar.
- Place shoes by the door every night; maybe this could be the last thing each night before brushing teeth?
SUN REGISTRATION CLOSES TOMORROW - SEPT 26
Arleta SUN Community School provides a FREE after-school program that promotes student success by extending the school day through enrichment activities and academic support. SUN (Schools Uniting Neighborhoods) also provides adult classes & workshops and fun family events. Community schools serve as mini “community centers” by keeping a public building open & active during after-school hours, and bringing youth & family opportunities directly to the neighborhood. It’s an alternative way for you and the local community to connect via the school! SUN is not a childcare program. Portland Parks & Recreation manages the Arleta SUN program.
Our SUN School Coordinator Raina Bilbrew is wonderful as so many of you already know! In addition to coordinating the various aspects of our after school program, she collaborates with and deeply supports our staff, supports students within the school day, serves on Arleta Site Council, runs an intentionally designated SUN Community Space in Room 4, and collaborates with our PTA Inclusion Committee. To contact Raina directly: raina.bilbrew@portlandoregon.gov or 503-916-6332.
Registration forms for SUN School came home last Friday and forms are due by tomorrow, Friday September 26th. The program starts Monday, October 13.
POPSICLES AND LAWN GAMES IN THE PLAYGROUND - SEPT 29
The PTA is hosting popsicles & yard games at the playground on Monday, September 29 from 6-7pm. We’ll have a variety of lawn games ready for you to play, but of course, you're welcome to bring any additional games you’d like.
Bring your kids, get treats, play games, connect with other parents and kids, learn how the PTA supports Arleta and find out how you can participate!
ARLETA LITTER PICK-UP - OCT 9
The Arleta Green Team hosts twice-monthly litter clean ups on second and fourth Thursdays of the month. The next Litter Pick-up is on Thursday, October 9th from 2:30-3pm.
Please meet at the picnic tables, grab a bucket and grabber, pick-up trash anywhere you see it, and drop off the bucket when you're done. We will take care of the trash. Leave whenever you need. Thank you for helping to keep our school grounds clean and safe for everyone!
ARLETA FAMILY NIGHT OUT - OCT 10
Come join other Arleta families for a night out in our neighborhood for dinner, drinks, and socializing. This is not a fundraiser or a sponsored event. It's just a good excuse to get together with our incredible community.
Arleta Family Night Out is Friday, October 10, at 5pm, at the Foster Food Carts, 205 SE Foster Rd, Portland, OR 97206
Please let us know if you think you'll make it so that we can be sure to reserve enough space to accommodate everyone. Hope to see you there!
BIPOC FAMILY GATHERING - OCT 16
On October 18, 5:30-7pm, we’re excited to have our first Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Family Gathering of this academic year, welcoming students, parents, and guardians. The group offers a safe space to talk, connect, and play. Come join us in the SUN Room, which is located in the main building past the gym. Dinner and kid activities will be provided.
Please RSVP and send any questions to Arleta's SUN Recreational Coordinator, Raina Bilbrew at rbilbrew@pps.net. Please let us know if you would like a translator.
ARLETA FALL FESTIVAL - OCT 24
This is no trick: get ready for the Arleta Fall Festival, always a treat! The Arleta Fall Festival is Friday, October 24th from 6–8 PM in the annex. Look forward to a fun-filled evening as we celebrate the best of the fall season! Join us for: A lively dance party, costumes & games, festive decorations and plenty of snacks.
Plus, don’t miss the PTA Bake Sale Fundraiser at the Festival! Keep an eye out for the signup sheet so you can contribute a homemade treat and help support our school. Information about our Arleta costume swap will go out in next week's Dolphin Digest!
ARLETA DAY AT THE PORTLAND PTA CLOTHING CENTER - OCT 2
Two thousand PPS students a year get the clothes they need at The PTA Clothing Center. It relies on volunteers from each of the schools to help organize the clothing, as well as, to help families "shop" for what they need.
Arleta is assigned two days throughout the school year to manage the Clothing Center at Marshall High School Campus, 3901 SE 91st Ave • Room C-56. Our first day to volunteer is next Thursday, October 2 from 9:30am-1:30pm. A more detailed description of the volunteer shift can be downloaded here. We need twelve volunteers but only have three, and have no volunteers signed up to clean and organize for the second shift.
Volunteering at the PTA Clothing Center is a wonderful, easy way to do good in the community. If you are available to volunteer for ANY of this time (even it it's just an hour), please sign up for a slot. Just sign up for one of the slots and make a note of what time you actually plan on being there.
It is truly a rewarding and fun experience! Thank you for considering!
ELF DOG AND OWL HEAD BY M.T. ANDERSON AND JUNYI WU - 2024 NEWBERY HONOR
“Writing with his characteristic precision, Anderson melds the fantastic with the everyday. . . . A hilarious, heartfelt triumph.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Clay has had his fill of home life. A global plague has brought the world to a screeching halt, and with little to look forward to but a summer of video-calling friends, vying with annoying sisters for the family computer, and tuning out his parents’ financial worries, he’s only too happy to retreat to the woods. From the moment the elegant little dog with the ornate collar appears like an apparition among the trees, Clay sees something uncanny in her. Each day the mysterious Elphinore leads Clay down paths he never knew existed, deeper into the unknown. But they aren’t alone in their surreal adventures. There are traps and terrors in the woods, too, and if Clay isn’t careful, he might stray off the path and lose his way forever. With evocative black-and-white illustrations by Junyi Wu, National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson’s novel is heartfelt and exhilarating, wry and poignant, seamlessly merging the fantastic and the familiar in a tale both timely and timeless.
Explore More:
- Click here to borrow the book, ebook, or audiobook from Multnomah County Library.
- Listen to the author talk about the inspiration for the book, telling us, "It's a love letter to the pets who remind us what it means to care deeply, and to be alive."
- Buy the book at Powell's Bookstore.
- Buy the book, ebook, or audiobook at Barnes and Noble.
- Purchase the book on Amazon.
PAPER MOLA PROJECT
You will need: four or five colors of construction paper, white card stock, black construction paper or cardstock, scissors, and glue stick!
SUN SCHOOL IS HIRING A FIRST GRADE CHESS INSTRUCTOR
We're bidding a fond farewell to our previous first grade chess instructor as he heads off to college! Arleta SUN School is looking for a new first grade chess instructor to immediately fill the roll so that the first grade chess program can continue. Class time is 3-4pm on Mondays and Wednesdays (2 hours a month) for our Fall term (October 13 - December 18th). Pay range is $19.04-$24.43, based on experience. You must be able to pass a background check. Please click here for more information. Please click here to apply through the Portland Parks and Recreation website. If you are a teen applying for the first grade chess instructor or adult you will be applying as a counselor. If you have a teaching degree or have worked as a teacher, please apply for the job as a specialized art instructor.
ARLETA FOOD PANTRY, CLOTHES CLOSET, & FAMILY TOILETRIES
Arleta has a small food pantry, clothes closet, and a variety of toiletries available for the use of any Arleta family. To set up an appointment to use the pantry or the closet, please email our SUN School Coordinator, Raina Bilbrew at rbilbrew@pps.net or raina.bilbrew@portlandoregon.gov or call or text her at 971-803-8986.
PORTLAND MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL - OCT 4-5
The White Lotus Foundation will once again host Portland’s largest Mid-Autumn Festival, a two-day event drawing thousands of visitors to Southeast Portland.
Taking place on October 4-5, from noon-8pm at Shun Fat Supermarket, 5253 SE 82nd Avenue, the festival will feature more than 100 vendors selling Asian food, snacks, drinks and handmade crafts.
Families can join the free lantern parade and sample mooncakes at the event. More than 10 cultural performances, from traditional dance and martial arts to live music, are scheduled across the weekend. An after-hours party is planned for both nights, offering extended programming until midnight.
Go to the event website by clicking here!
Noon-8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 4-5; Shun Fat Supermarket, 5253 S.E. 82nd Ave.; free; eventbrite.com/e/portland-mid-autumn-festival-2025-tickets-1584440587449
MID-AUTUM FESTIVAL EVENTS AT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY - VARIOUS DATES NOW THROUGH MID-OCT
Throughout the festival season, branches of Multnomah County Library will host free cultural programs designed for all ages. Activities include crafting LED paper lanterns, origami, tai chi lessons, storytelling and musical performances. Events are scheduled at multiple branches between late September and mid-October.
Sept. 27-Oct. 12; times and locations vary; free; Click here and type "Mid-Autumn Festival" in the events search field to see a list of events. To check out books related to the Mid-Autumn festival click here!
FROM THE CAPITOL TO OUR CLASSROOMS SCHOOL LIBRARIES - OCT 8
Join the Oregon PTA on Zoom Wednesday, Oct 8th 7:00pm for ‘From the Capitol to our Classrooms – School Libraries' featuring Kate Weber, Ayn Frazee, and Jean Gritter of the Oregon Association of School Libraries (OASL) discussing the dire state of school libraries in Oregon and what we can do.
Please share this event with your community.
Registration link: https://bit.ly/CapitoltotheClassroom-Libraries
Research shows: Students learn more in schools with well-stocked libraries led by certified librarians. Libraries promote strong reading habits and serve as quiet places for students to study. They build not only research skills, but teach fact-checking, how to battle misinformation and digital literacy.
But here’s where Oregon stands:
- Only 34% of high schoolers — and just 15% of elementary students — attend a school with a certified librarian.
- 31% of schools have no library staff at all.
- Oregon ranks 48th in licensed librarian staffing. Mississippi has 1 librarian per 595 students; Oregon has 1 per ~3,400.
This event is part of our ongoing series "From the Capitol to our Classrooms" that explores school funding in Oregon. The event will be recorded and shared on the Oregon PTA website afterwards.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S DAY WEEKEND - OCT 11-12
Join the Indigenous Marketplace Community at the Oregon Convention Center for the Indigenous Peoples Day Weekend!
Mark your calendars and get ready for an amazing Indigenous Peoples Day Weekend October 11-12th!!
Native American Drum Group Turquoise Pride will perform both days from at least 11am-1pm!!
Native Flute Performance by Sherrie Davis Sunday ONLY from 2-4pm!!
Date: Oct 11 and 12
Time: 10-4pm
Location: 777 NE MLK JR Blvd, Portland OR
Trimet Bus: 6, 8, 35, 40, 293 etc
Max Line: Blue, Green Red
Street Car: A and B
FULLY FUND OUR SCHOOLS FORUM - NOV 6
November 6, 2025, 6 pm
Fully Fund Our Schools Forum (working title)
@ Sunnyside Elementary, 3421 SE Salmon St, Portland, OR 97214
Co-hosted by Community and Parents for Public Schools (CPPS) and Sunnyside ES Advocacy Parent Group
Agenda: Gather with our lawmakers and educational leaders, convene with fellow community members to learn how we can work towards supporting our students and public schools.
On behalf of the Community and Parents for Public Schools board, thank you for your engagement and interest to work to support our public schools together! Please reach out if you have any questions or if you are interested in a leadership role.
Email: cpps@cppsportland.org
Phone: (503) 220-0577
Website: https://cppsportland.org/
Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/cppsportland/
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