June Newsletter

June 1, 2021

Dear Talbot Families,

Happy June! And just like that we are counting down the final days of the 2021-2022 school year. I am proud of how hard Talbot students and staff have worked this year, in spite of the continual challenges brought on by covid. Many wonderful memories have been made with a lot of learning along the way! Thank you for being partners in working with us to educate your child. With the end of the school year fast approaching, here are some quick updates:

Rainbow/Field Day

Thursday, June 9 is Rainbow Day/Field Day. The Talbot Civil Rights team is sponsoring a Rainbow Walk to kick off Field Day activities at 8:00am. Students, staff and parents are invited to wear rainbows or dress in rainbow colors that day as a show of support for our school’s mission which is “Empowering all learners to achieve high standards in a safe and welcoming environment”. The rainbow is a symbol of acceptance for many people no matter who they are or who is in their families. At Talbot School, we feel strongly that all people feel welcome and safe at our school, regardless of race, skin color, nation of origin, religious preferences, abilities and disabilities, and sexual orientation or who they consider family. Our annual Rainbow Walk is meant to honor our belief that every person at our school is free to shine as they are. “Just like the rainbow, each person in our community compliments one another because of our unique characteristics, and together we make a beautiful community”, says Talbot school social worker, Sarah Beam. If any student feels uncomfortable wearing rainbow colors that day, they can choose to wear Talbot colors, a Talbot Tee shirt, or any color they wish. We want everyone to walk with us because it is a whole community event. Please met us out front at 8:00 if you would like to participate.

Field Day ‘22

Field Day is a school wide event that emphasizes physical activity, cooperation, and fun. There will be many activities for the students to do and many new experiences. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Kathy Cole at 874-8210 or colek@portlandschools.org. Volunteers need to be screened. Your student will need the following items for Field Day: dry clothes, towel to dry off, sunscreen, sneakers, water bottle.

Fifth Grade End of Year Celebrations

On Monday June 13th, we will be celebrating our Fifth Grade Farewell Ceremony in person for the first time in two years. Thank you to the PTO for helping to sponsor this event. This celebration will be in the school gym at 1:00 and only for Fifth Grade students and their parents/guardians. Younger siblings will not be permitted to leave their classrooms to attend this year’s event, due to space restrictions.

Last Day of School

The last student day of school is Tuesday, June 14th. This will be an early release day with an 11:00am dismissal. Bagged lunches will be served and report cards will be sent home with students that day.

Returning Tech

Please return any PPS students device (chromebook/iPad), charging cord/plug, headphones, and carrying case that may still be at home from when your child was remote. All student devices must be returned by June 10th in order to be serviced over the summer.

Rec Next Year;

From Ms. Beam: If families want to sign their children up for after the bell rec next year, they need to sign up on July 11.Here is the link to the information:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zN915UpiQCXwUNd73IMfP8CtuDH19EAH/view?usp=sharing

School Safety

Finally, I want to share with you our overwhelming sadness and outrage at yet another tragic school shooting. It is events like these that cause us to hug our children a little longer before we say goodbye in the morning.

I want to assure you that the safety of your child is my top priority. While no amount of planning can guarantee that a tragedy such as this will not occur, we do everything we can to keep students and staff safe while at school. Our school has a crisis plan in place to help avoid tragedies such as this. The plan is reviewed and updated annually with staff. Staff have been reminded that it is expected they keep the outside door to their classrooms closed during the school day.

It is equally important that we ensure our staff are prepared to support students emotionally in these difficult times. While it is our policy to not share frightening information such as this with our students, we took time following the tragedy to train our staff how to support students if questions should arise. We will also have our social workers, Mrs. LeSieur and I ready to support your child should they have questions or strong feelings following this tragedy.

As parents, and teachers we are troubled by events like what occurred in Texas. However, events like these also provide us with the opportunity to help our children navigate this complicated world we live in a healthy way. Please reach out to us if you have questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Ann Hanna

Principal