Upcoming Events:
Principal's Notes:Thanks to everyone for helping make our first week a great one! With the early dismissal, the delay of the start of kindergarten, and the smoke, everyone has helped out to try and ensure a smooth start for our students.
A couple of reminders for folks:
Picture Days are coming!Monday, Sept. 11 is grades K-5 Picture Day and Tuesday, Sept. 12 is grades 6-8 Picture Day. Holland Studios will be in front of the school at 8:15 am both days for those families wanting sibling photos. Sibling photos are taken on a first come-first serve basis. Detailed information on ordering pictures online will be in the Weekly next Thursday.
Back to School Nights are also approachingMonday, Sept. 18, we have grades K-2 from 6 pm to 6:40 pm and grades 3-5 from 6:50 pm to 7:30 pm. Tuesday, Sept. 19, we have grades 6-8 from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. We look forward to seeing you!
Counselor's Corner:Hi all: For this year, I'll be checking in every week on what I am doing in the classrooms. I will also suggest a topic to talk about at the dinner table, which could hopefully initiate a conversation.
In the classrooms, I will be spending the month of September focusing on kindness and team building. We will do some activities and challenges (ask them about the counting activity from last week, it was really hard for some of them) culminating in a collective art project that we will hang in the front hall. The teambuilding will be most intense in the classes that have new students, especially 6th grade where we welcome more new folks than those who have been here.
If you weren't stranded on an island all summer, you might have heard about some increased tension in our country around race. The PTSA and staff would like our Winterhaven community to dig deeper into our beliefs around race this year. I'm still riding off the energy of this summer so let's start with this for a talking point:
Thomas Jefferson feared the "Tyranny of the Majority" - That 50.01% could rule the others with impunity in a democracy. How do we make sure to respect the rights of minorities in this culture? How could we improve on this? How could each of us, as individuals do better? I encourage you to zoom into race on this, but you could open with minorities of every type to get the ideas flowing. Obviously, adjust for age, but don't dodge discomfort. Embrace it, and as a former professor of mine once said, "Use discomfort as a tool for motivation". --Cliff Shaw, Winterhaven School Counselor; cshaw1@pps.net
Winterhaven Clothing Drive:Friday, September 8-Thursday September 21 - Winterhaven's Community Service Committee is running a Clothing Drive to provide clothes to the Portland Council PTA Clothing Center. Please bring your bagged clothes to the plastic bins located in the front foyer of the school starting September 8th. All donated clothes are taken to the PTA Clothing Center to serve school-age children and their families in our greater community. Per the Clothing Center website, please try to provide clean, gently-worn clothes that are appropriate for school attendance.
PTA Clothing Center:Thursday, September 21 (9:30-1pm) we need at least six volunteers for Winterhaven's assigned date at the Portland Council PTA Clothing Center at Marshall High School: 3905 SE 91st Ave, Portland, OR 97266. For many PPS students, this is their only chance to get new clothes for the season, and it is an incredibly rewarding experience for volunteers. Choose to help families "shop" for clothes or sort incoming donations - if you have the flexibility in your schedule, please consider joining us. If you cannot commit to the full 3.5 hours, think about splitting a 1.75 hour slot with a friend. Email Rebekah Folsom (rsatz@yahoo.com) to sign up for a slot or half-slot (9:30-1p, 9:30-11:15, or 11:15-1p).
After School Groups/Activities:For information about after school opportunities, please remember to register at https://www.peachjar.com/. This is where all the flyers for activities are located. For example, here is the link to Kids Like Languages: https://www.peachjar.com/index.php?region_id=121440&a=2&b=351965. Another example is the coding class: https://www.peachjar.com/index.php?a=2&b=352833®ion_id=121440
Chess Club:Do you want be part of one of the largest and most active chess clubs in Oregon? Join the Winterhaven Wizards Chess Club! Our focus is to have fun while learning problem solving, strategy and good sportsmanship. Tournament opportunities are available throughout the year, for those interested in competitive play.
Dates: October 25th - Spring Break When: Wednesdays 3:05-4:25 PM Grades: 2-8 (In the Spring, we have a separate Chess Academy for K-1 students to learn the basics of the game.) Skill levels: All students interested in playing chess - previous experience not required. Registration is now open: https://goo.gl/iN5T9H
Questions/comments or need help with registration? Email Dean Ehnes at winterhavenchessclub@gmail.com
PTSA News:
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