Principal Newsletter -- July 15, 2009

In the time since my last newsletter, shortly after the end of the academic year, more has happened than I would have thought imaginable. Those of you with roots in this community must have deeply conflicted feelings about the tear-down of our school. Clearly, while I was developing parallel plans for the 2009-2010 school year, we now know for certain that we will be housed at Smith Elementary School in Portland next year.

The purpose of this notice is to share with you updated information on a number of topics related to our year-long adventure.

Transportation

Attached to the email I used to link to this post is a "Transportation Survey" that I would be obliged if you returned rather soon. Portions of the survey I will relate again here. Two areas of focus are paramount: bus plans and sensitivity to the Ash Creek neighborhood.

Driving Directions

We are conscious of the impact our presence will have on the Ash Creek neighborhood and have developed plans accordingly. In fact, in our Conditional Use Permit for the use of the Smith facility, we pledged to increase both bus ridership and carpool participation. Additionally, that document dictates particular routes for school buses and carpool vehicles (separate routes, with different entrance and egress for each).

• School buses will enter the neighborhood via Garden Home Drive, turning left on SW 52nd Ave., ensuring a school-side drop for students. They will exit via a left-hand turn on SW Orchid Street toward SW 45th Drive.

• If you drive a carpool of children to or from the school, the following route is important to note: (from Taylor's Ferry) Right on SW 50th Avenue, Left on SW Marigold Street, Left on SW 50th Avenue -- again, ensuring a school-side drop-off -- and exiting via a left-hand turn on SW Orchid Street toward SW 45th Drive.

• There are two clear routes to Taylor's Ferry. One, more direct, may also experience more traffic. That is to turn left on Barbur from Terwilliger, and a slight right on Taylor's Ferry. The other is slightly more complex, but will likely save time. It is to turn left onto Taylor's Ferry before the freeway, right on SW 19th Avenue, left on Barbur, right on Multnomah Blvd., right on Taylor's Ferry.
  

I hope these details give you a more clear sense of the best routes into and leaving our temporary home. We are committed to have a low impact on our hosts' neighborhood, and I appreciate your help abiding with the agreements we've entered.

Busing

The other area of focus in relation to our temporary transition to Smith is that of ensuring the well-being, safety, and security of our students. In order to minimize the impact of the distance our students will be traveling we have taken a number of measures which I will outline here.

• Added Bus -- We have moved from three buses to four in order to shorten the ride times.
• Consolidated Stops -- We have consolidated some stops (similar to "snow routes") also in order to minimize ride times.
• The longest bus ride will -- as a result of these two measures -- be shorter than the longest ride during the 2008-2009 school year.
• Hitcher Clause -- Students arriving from outside the neighborhood may be dropped at one of three larger (in terms of pull-out space) bus stops in order to catch a ride to Smith.
• Specific bus route narratives will be posted on the District website in early August once they have been finalized. Drafts are in-hand now.

Teaching Position

The posting for the 4th grade position closed on Monday, with 340 applicants! A sign of the times for certain, the turnout for the posting is encouraging in that we have an excellent field of candidates from which to choose. Priorities in the search are many, but ultimately we are seeking the somewhat nebulous "fit" for our school. Experience, communication skill, and content knowledge are among the most important factors. Interviews will take place in the late part of July and early weeks of August, with a panel composed of parents, teachers, and myself.


Configuration Plans -- Smith

The opportunity Smith Elementary provides us is remarkable. That we will be able to carry on our program with a minimum of alterations in a true school facility while the building is constructed, rather than guide children around a complicated and potentially dangerous construction site, is especially fortuitous. That being said, there are some configuration challenges posed by a facility that -- while built for more students than we bring -- was not designed to accommodate them in such small class sizes. Namely, our kindergarten model looks slightly different than it has in recent years (all students arrive in the morning, 1/2 day students then leave at midday) and third and fourth grade classrooms will be co-taught (two teachers in one classroom with approximately 28 students).

In the Spring, I communicated personally with most parents of rising third and fourth graders to share the early development of these plans. Some of those plans were clouded by the added consideration given to the uncertainty of where we would be in 2009-2010 and what the staffing level would be. Now that both of these questions have been answered (for the positive) we can more clearly delineate plans. I am developing a Frequently Asked Question page related to the decision-making process and the model itself in these grade levels; it will be the subject of my next newsletter. I am also keen to meet with parents of students in third and fourth grade to reassure you that the year will be a success, that the teachers involved are excited by the prospect of a unique year in their practice, and that we will ensure our students' success.


Smith Orientation

Plans are in the works for an opportunity for folks and children to see their temporary home. As school begins on August 31 this year, we will incorporate an opportunity to walk the halls into the process of unpacking boxes and moving into our spaces -- a volunteer day at Smith in late August. (By the way, please take note that the PTC New Families Picnic will be held on Sunday, August 23rd!) My suggestion is that you take an opportunity somewhere down the line this summer to drive the route and play on the equipment over at Smith.


I hope that everyone is having a fantastic summer, and that, as we approach a new school year, our focus can remain on providing our children with the finest possible educational experience.

Best Regards,

jeremiah

Three Updates

The first week of summer was anything but low-key. Sixteen truckloads of pencils, paper, desks, and chairs made their way to Smith Elementary School. I'd like to give a great big "Thank You!" to all those who came to help! The school is now absolutely empty, save for materials staged in our gym for the year. The photo is of the gym at Smith, loaded for next year. I hope it gives some sense of the scale. Along the way we were able to recycle an entire construction container of material, as well as donate a great deal of school supplies left behind by children to a worthy cause.

Let me share three related updates with you.

First, my apologies for not posting class lists on Friday. They will be posted on Monday around noon on a bulletin board, street-side rather than on the front doors as is usual. The reason for waiting until Monday is that we have a change in personnel to announce -- this is the second update. The reason we'll not be posting on the front doors has to do with the abatement process, which also begins on Monday; abatement details are the third piece of news.

At a special session of the School Board, Superintendent Hoagland proposed that we post the 4th grade position recently vacated by Mira Peterson. This is a reversal of the original recommendation made by the budget committee, which was prudently based on to-date financial considerations and enrollment. Recently, with increased interest in the Grade School, we recommended that we add back the position; the Board unanimously agreed! I will update soon, in my next newsletter, about the process we will undertake to fill that position.

The central purpose for Saturday's special session was to discuss the Conditional Use hearing of the 15th and its implications for the ongoing Grade School process. In short, the plan is to move forward. We are prepared for abatement to begin on Monday the 22nd, on schedule. There are strict DEQ requirements around the abatement process and the district has contracted a specialty firm to undertake it. The first phase, which begins Monday, is concerned with the removal of asbestos glue underneath layers of carpet below the carpet you see now in the main building. The site will be totally contained and will be absolutely safe for neighbors. Those familiar with the abatement process may know that there is often a smell associated with the chemicals used in removal, but that they are approved treatment chemicals and the odor, if it exists, poses no danger to the passerby. In our case, the abatement contractor will not be using these chemicals, in any case. You will not see the entire campus fenced until such time as is necessary from a safety standpoint. That is to say, the building will be totally inaccessible, but the rest of the campus will not.

Nonetheless, we urge folks to discourage children from playing on the basketball hoops or playground for the time being. In a similar vein, we will post the class lists away from the doors.

I'd like to reiterate that the abatement process being undertaken at the Grade School is extremely minor relative to many other projects concerning buildings of a similar age, and that we consider the precautions being taken to be on the conservative side, knowing that it is a place for children and that we wish to be the best neighbors we can be.

I will continue to update with details as they make themselves apparent, on all of these fronts. Please don't hesitate to call with any questions. For the summer, Betsy and I are set up at Riverdale High School. Beginning Tuesday, our phone number should ring there, and mail will be forwarded.

As always, my best.

Jeremiah