Summer Update

This is one long and crazy ride we’ve been on together these last two years. And, now, with four short weeks until the first day of school, the crescendo is definitely building.

I’d like to take the opportunity to give some updates on the activities around the end of construction, plans for the opening of our school year, and some important dates for your calendar.

First, though, for those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Dr. MacNamara, our new Superintendent, you are in for a treat. She is a true CEO (Chief Educational Officer) and has truly refocused our leadership team with a steady emphasis on children first. We are very lucky to have her. On a personal level, I am thrilled to have such a dynamic mentor and guide.

In a similar vein, Paula Robinson, new RHS Principal, hit the ground running with remarkable ease. She is a brilliant problem solver, and has expertise in some critically important areas. Please join me in welcoming her to our family.

Construction Related:

The regular construction updates are extremely informative, but it’s a whole different experience to walk the grounds and see the place come to life day-by-day. We are in the process of “punch-listing” the building and grounds, meaning that we identify any defect or glitch for fixing up prior to the handover. It’s an exhaustive process, but critically important to the completion of the build-out. More than anything, seeing plants go in makes the biggest difference for me; the only thing more exciting is the notion of children and teachers in the space.

It is absolutely critical that we all stay off of the field -- any delay will impinge our Fall sports seasons dramatically. Please help remind our kids (and dogs!) that, even as the fences are slowly removed, it is still a construction site, complete with all the inherent dangers and risks.

School Opening Related:

In no particular order, here are a number of answers to this summer’s faq

• The wonderful new lunch program is up and running. (Our code is 213RGSOROR). You have until the 20th of the month to make an order, and lunch will be served on the first day of school, September 7th.
• PTC Back-to-School packets will be emailed directly; some "hard" copies will be available, both at the New Families Welcome and in the front office. (And if you see Minnie Cooper, hug her - she's done so much to get this ready.)
• RGS Back-to-School packets will be available, street-side, on August 25th. (We will be unpacking, but not allowed to have the public inside as of yet.) Betsy will set up a booth for distribution.
• Some folks have inquired about the size of our new lockers. They are standard-sized lockers, 34 1/2”(h); 8 3/8”(w); 16 7/8”(d). I found a good number of organizers and accessories here, at the Container Store website. In our experience, inserting a temporary shelf can make all the difference. Some items, like musical instruments, will not fit in the lockers; these can be stored in the homeroom teacher's classroom, or in the new music storage area (in the music house).
• Pick-up and drop-off locations will be as follows: the South parking lot will be for cars; the North lot will be for buses only. Both locations will be staffed in the morning and afternoons, as will a crossing location on Breyman. (More specific logistical details to follow nearer the start of the year.)
• We delayed the elective offerings for 7th and 8th grade students until now, in order to ensure that all incoming students had email addresses in our list-serve. Please see the attached (to the email) pdf version of the elective forms, and mail or email the forms to Betsy Biss at Smith (8935 SW 52nd Ave.; Portland, OR 97219). Electives are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, but there is no need to rush it too much -- we will hold them in blocks of forms returned (somewhat like Southwest Airlines -- "A," "B," & "C" groups, and assign electives accordingly.
• The new (again) bus routes are now posted online, here. For the most part, they are a return to prior routes, with some adjustments.
  
• As most know, because of an unusually wet spring, we will need to stay off the field well into September, and perhaps for the entire month. We have a contingency plan for athletics practices that includes (a) morning practices at RHS, and (b) practicing at RHS during the school day while the high school is in session the first week of September. More information will be forthcoming. We anticipated the field situation and scheduled accordingly, with soccer games away for most, or all, of September.
  

• Boys (6th-8th grade) interested in playing soccer should contact coach Nels Paine. There will once again be two teams.
• Girls (6th-8th grade) interested in playing soccer should contact coach Leslie Charuhas. It is likely that there will be one large team for the lady falcons this year. The schedule was set back in April around the assumption of one team. Athletic Director Lori Peterson submitted a request in May for a second team, and there remains an outside chance we will be able to assume a second team -- we just will not know until very late in August.
• Volleyball league game schedules have not been released yet. Any 6th-8th grade girl interested in playing volleyball should contact coach Sara Brounstein with that interest. There will be no conditioning camp or practice prior to the week of August 30^th.

• Of course, youth teams wishing to use the field will also need to wait until it is game-ready. Please make alternate arrangements, or use the fields provided by LO Youth Soccer.

Activities Calendar

• August 22nd -- New Family Welcome @ RHS 3:00-4:30 pm
• September 6 -- Sneak Peak @ RGS 4:00 pm
• September 7 -- 1st-8th, 1st Day of School
• September 7 -- RGS Back-to-School Coffee @ RGS 8:30-9:30 am
• September 13 -- Kinder/Pre-K 1st Day
• September 17 -- Newcomers' Coffee 9:00-11:00 am
• September 21 -- RGS Back-t0-School Night @ RGS 6:30-8:00 pm

End of the "Smitherdale" Era

And then there were four -- the "Smitherdale" crew has winnowed to just Betsy, Dale, Dennis, and myself.

The Riverdale Giving Tree leaves are going fast, and it is soon to be installed in the main entry area (second floor) of the new building! There are only 94 leaves remaining for sale -- they can be purchased at Riverdale High School or from Barbara Cohen by June 30th.

Report cards are being mailed Friday and Monday. Winners of awards and promoted 8th graders will find their certificates amongst the report cards.

Look for an update from the PTC regarding next year's exciting new lunch program.

Class lists will be posted late next week, likely Thursday, down street-side on Breyman. As usual, we will have two sections of each grade level (exceptions are three at 8th next year, and one kinder am session + the extended option).

There are a number of dates to pencil in.

• Construction site tours are in development. The first, for children and parents, will be at 9:00 on Saturday June 26th.
  
• Also look forward to another kid-focused opportunity and a Bremik-hosted barbecue in late July.
  
• September 6th (the afternoon before school begins) will be a "sneak preview" of the new building.
  
• A community ping-pong tournament will be the weekend of September 19th.
  
• The Grand Opening is slated for October 6th.

There are a few staffing changes to announce. A budget-driven reduction-in-force (RIF) triggers these changes:

• Elimination of the 3-6 Spanish "special" program
• Ms. Brounstein will teach the kindergarten class (Mrs. Lamb will continue to teach the extended day portion of the day, as well as our community schools pre-school.
• Mrs. Sager will teach second grade.

Last Friday night -- after the last day of school -- the School Board considered the RIF recommendation presented by the administration after the approval of next year's budget, which called for a reduction. The meeting was well-attended, and a number of parents spoke very eloquently about their difficulty in understanding the effects of the reduction. I think it is important to take a moment to describe in short detail the thinking behind the staffing changes listed above. Primarily, our school identity is founded on two major tenets, each of which rightly drives decision making in difficult economic conditions.

• Class size is critically important to the success of our program to date, and will be a catalyst for continued growth and improvement. It allows for individualized attention and fosters the development of relationships between teacher-and-student, and between teacher-and-family. We grow class size intentionally as students get older, and as the importance of academic and social peers increases. We believe it is incumbent upon us that we protect class size, especially at the primary level. (One option for dealing with a reduction, for instance, is to hold a single section where class size is otherwise especially small.We rejected this idea as it represents short-term thinking, and impinges our potential for intentional and appropriate growth.)
  
• Integrated Arts Curriculum -- we have what almost no public school is able to offer students at the k-8 level, a fully integrated arts curriculum. And, while it is impossible to entirely separate whether we are successful as a result of this arrangement, or whether we are fortunate to be able to offer it as a result of our successes, we believe it would be a mistake to begin carving into our most developed arts and support programs even when other districts do so. We determined that the 3-6 Spanish special was the least critical of these programs and made the difficult decision to cut it in lieu of other support programs or much larger class size.

The RIF conundrum was excruciatingly difficult, and I appreciate that our recommendations to the Board left some feeling unheard. Ultimately, I ask that you continue to place your trust in our school. We certainly have a lot of growth to do, and I am ready for the challenges inherent in that process.

Anyone who has had the pleasure to walk the grounds of the new building is bound to understand we will be moving into a world-class facility. Our challenge is to ensure that our program fits that bill as well. I am invigorated by the prospect of the work we have ahead of us -- teaching our children not only to be deep and critical thinkers, but also to be contributing citizens, and, most important of all, good and kind people.

On behalf of your faculty, I wish you all a restorative, adventure-filled summer.

There's Only One Way to Close the Show

And Tatum taught us what that is...

An Incredible Finish

Families,

Thank you.

Thank you for sending your children to us for the last nine months, for entrusting us with their education, and their emotional and physical safety. School is perhaps the ultimate human enterprise, and, as a result, we are far from perfect. What we seek to do, every day, is to personalize the educational experience your children receive.

These last four days of "Smitherdale" (as the t-shirt has dubbed it) will no doubt be a whirlwind, as have been the last two weeks.

First, how about Field Day?! Marne, Nicole, Laura, and Leslie deserve 100% of the credit for the sunshine, not to mention the seamlessly organized day. (Mr. Black's photos here.)

The fifth grade "Fractured Fairytales" (another youtube link) had me grinning ear to ear! (Again, marvelous photos here. What would we do without him?)

The music concerts were wonderful reminders of what we have to celebrate. (A previous post has embedded a youtube video of the 7-8 band performing at a band competition this Spring.) Here, as a complement, is a video of the jazz band performing last week:



There are a number of important events coming this week.

Tonight marks the graduation of the RHS senior class at Lewis & Clark.

Thursday morning at 10:00 is our awards assembly, held this year in the lovely gym at Smith. (8th graders traditionally depart after the awards assembly.)

And, Thursday night, we will promote an impressive group of 8th graders!

Finally, Friday night is the final Board meeting of this school year. The Board's letter to the community elucidates far more clearly than I could the budgetary situation in which we find ourselves. Dealing with a shortage of funds is, ultimately, the most difficult part of my position. But, it is a critical element as well. I know that this school represents so much of our community's hopes for its children, and that the natural results are strong emotions and personal ties. We benefit from this everyday. I anticipate a full house Friday night, and welcome the opportunity to gather with our families to work through the situation for your children.

This year has been, for all of us, an exercise in patience. I'd like to thank you for yours. The result will be well worth it!

Best,

j