Duniway Dispatch

• September 22: Duniway Site Council and Village Table Meeting, 2:45-3:45 p.m.
• September 24: Duniway Back to School Night, 6-7:30 p.m.
• September 25: School Spirit Day- Duniway Gear/Colors Day (purple & white) + The Duniway Open Golf Tournament

• October 2: Fund Run
• October 7: OBOB Information Night
• October 9: Schools Closed - Statewide Inservice Day
• October 12-16: Book Fair
• October 21: Early Release Day, 11:50 a.m. dismissal
• October 22: Picture Retakes, 8-10 a.m.
• October 23: Principal's Coffee , 8 a.m. in the Cafeteria
• October 28: Family Literacy Night - 6:00-7:30pm
• October 29-30: Schools Closed - Grading and Planning Days

PPS District Calendar 2026-27

Hello Families,

Happy Friday and I hope you all have had a good week. We have had a great week here at Duniway with lots of activities going on. We had a great first assembly of the year on Wednesday where we welcomed our new staff, honored Hispanic Heritage Month and celebrated the power of a growth mindset. Our interim Music Teacher, Kyle Lawrence did a great job leading everyone in singing our school song. Our 5th grade emcees Fiona Angel and Hudson Vosper did a great job leading the assembly. It was nice seeing students show up looking great ready for their class pictures on Thursday and Friday. The pictures looked great under the canopy of the linden trees on Reed College Way in front of the school. Looking ahead to next week, we are excited to welcome all of you to Duniway for Back to School Night on Thursday, September 24 @ 6pm. This will be a great chance to spend time to hear from our school teachers and parent committees and spend time with your child’s teacher seeing their classroom. I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend and we look forward to seeing you all next Monday.

Sincerely,

John Melvin

We are looking forward to seeing our families for Back-to-School Night!

• This event is designed for your student to lead you through their classroom and describe what they are learning in school.

• A reminder that parents are to stay with and supervise their children at all times during the evening.

• Enter the event from the entrances to the cafeteria. The main entrance on SE Reed College Place will be locked.

• Remember to check the lost and found rack on the black top!

Schedule

• 6:00-6:20 Welcome in the Cafeteria

• 6:20-7:15 Visit Classrooms (Specialists and other staff will be available in the cafeteria or their classrooms)

• 7:00-7:15 TAG Presentation in Room 17

• 7:15-7:30 Cookies in the Cafeteria

The Duniway Fund Run is on Friday, October 2! Now’s the time to make your pledge and help us make one of Duniway PTA’s biggest fundraisers of the year a success.

🫶 Pledge: Make a flat donation or pledge per lap. Most students run 6–14 laps.

📣 Share: Send your student’s fundraising page to grandparents, family, friends, and neighbors and invite them to support your runner, too. Encourage your kids to make calls and knock on doors with you!

MAKE A PLEDGE

Every contribution helps fund the programs, activities, and resources our PTA provides for Duniway students. Thank you for supporting our kids! 🍂

Results from 2025-2026 OSAS, ELPA, MAP Growth tests are now available to view in ParentVue for students who participated in these tests. Students participated in the following assessments:

• OSAS: grades 3-8 and 11

• ELPA: English Learner students in grades K-12

• MAP Growth Math: grades 6-8

• MAP Growth Reading: grades 3-8

There are two ways to view scores:

Method #1

• Log in to your ParentVue account and click on the ‘Documents’ tile. This will open a window showing various documents for your student.

• Look for documents named ‘2025-26_osas_results’, ‘2025-26_elpa_results’ and ‘2025-26_map_growth_results.’

This is the recommended method for viewing scores as this document includes line graphs and explanations and additional information not included in the ‘Test History’ view.

Method #2

• Log in to your ParentVue account and click on the ‘Test History’ tile. The test score screen includes test scores only and does not include explanations of scores or context for understanding scores.

• There is also a tile called ‘Student Assessment Descriptions’ that will take you to a webpage providing a description of the assessment and limited context for the results.

This month in PE, we are focusing on routines, cooperation, and safety! Students are practicing moving safely in their own personal space and working together through partner activities that practice sharing space and equipment. We’ve also kicked off an exciting unit using bikes, balance bikes, and scooters! Please ensure your student comes to PE each day wearing safe, comfortable athletic shoes that stay securely on their feet so they are ready to move, balance, and stop safely. Also, thank you to all the volunteers who have come to support us pedaling into the future!!

Welcome to the Duniway School Library! Mrs. Boyd is excited to be your librarian. Classes are learning how to select books that are a good fit and practicing library routines.

Visit the Duniway Library online. Search the catalog, place a hold, or read an ebook.

3rd-5th grade OBOB 2026-27 titles are available in the library and on the Sora book app.

We’ll celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month from 9/15 to 10/15.

Welcome to music class for the 2026-2027 school year! This month we are focusing on routines and expectations in the music room. Younger grades are working on keeping a steady beat, and all grades are working on rhythm values and polite audience behavior in preparation for our first Schoolwide Assembly. We’ve also been working on respectful use of classroom instruments and equipment.

🌟⭐✨

Hi! I’m Rafa (pronounced 'Hafa"), originally from Brazil, and I’ve been living in Portland for the past 10 years. I live in Sellwood with my family and am a mom to a 3-year-old who will attend Duniway when the time comes. I’ve been working with children and families for the past 10 years, and in my free time, I enjoy taking long walks and exploring coffee shops. I’m very excited to join the team and become more involved in my local school community!

After a year away, I am so happy to be back at Duniway for this school year! I am starting my 8th year as an EA, with five of those being at Duniway. I love supporting the kids and watching as they make connections and grow as students and citizens of our world. When I’m not at Duniway, my favorite place to be is on a beach with my family. I can’t wait to dive back into reading, writing, and math with the kids!

The Village Table is PPS's districtwide Site Council, where families and district leaders work together on decisions that affect every school. Lindsey Haugen and Margaret Henry represent Duniway there.

For the 2026-27 school year, the Village Table will serve as an advisory space for the district’s rightsizing work. As PPS considers the realities of rightsizing and budget - it’s leveraging the already built space of the Village Table to offer families and community partners a consistent place to receive information, raise questions and share the perspectives of their school communities.

Come hear what is happening and share your feedback at our Site Council meeting on

Tuesday Sept. 22nd at 2:45-3:45 in Room 25.

Everyone is welcome.

Calling all apple and pear fans! Sellwood Middle School is hosting a fruit fundraiser and selling freshly picked and amazing tasting boxes of apples and pears from Kiyokawa Family Orchards. This local orchard from Parkdale, Oregon is known for its excellent quality fruit and a reputation for supporting local nonprofits, like the SMS PTA. Pick up date is October 15th from 3:00-5:30 at Sellwood Middle parking lot. Purchase here

Because of our incredible Duniway community, the Foundation is able to fund programs that directly support our students, including:

• OMSI Outdoor School- Funding secured through 2028–29

• A Part Time Educational Assistant- Supporting students and teachers

• Reading Results & Enrichment- Reading and math support in partnership with the PTA

• Instructional Support- 31 volunteers provided 700+ hours of classroom support last year. This year we are hoping to start earlier!

• Classroom Art & Art Show- Celebrating creativity and bringing our community together

• Capital Projects- Exploring a covered basketball court, cooler play spaces, and auditorium improvements

The Foundation is a hands-on, community-powered organization. Board members help guide fundraising, support Foundation projects and events, build community connections, and bring new ideas to Duniway. Join us to help with the Year End Giving Campaign, 3rd annual Collaborative Art Show, and the 28th annual Spring Auction our LARGEST Duniway fundraiser.

You don't need fundraising experience! We’re looking for people with a variety of skills and perspectives, from events and communications to grant writing, financial, volunteer and project management, community engagement, and relationship building.

We currently have opportunities for President/Co-Presidents, Vice President, Secretary, and Co-Treasurers, as well as general voting board members. Leadership roles can be shared.

As I step down as President, one of my goals is to build a strong, collaborative leadership team so the Foundation doesn't depend on one person. We have a strong foundation to build on, and we’re excited to welcome new people, new ideas, and continued collaboration with our PTA.

Interested in learning more, fill out THIS SURVEY and I’ll reach back out to you. Join us at an upcoming board meeting on the third Tuesday of the month, meet the team, and see if the Foundation is a good fit for you.

Thank you for helping make Duniway such a special community!

Warmly,
Andrea Angell
Duniway Educational Foundation