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Atomic Articles - June!

Here is the link to view the video of today's principal coffee, which had details about dates for the end of this school year as well as previews of next year's schedules:

Here is the link to the powerpoint with the basic info:

Also note: If you know people interested in the lottery results for the 24-25 school year, we anticipate the initial offers to go out early next week, May 13 or after. Thanks!

May Atomic Articles

Hello Atomic Families!

Atomic Articles Volume 29

Happy March Atomic Families!

Atomic Articles - March!

• We are so excited that the ACCESS application is open for the next month, Feb. 15 - Mar. 15! Please go here: /Page/2343 to find the application.

  NOTE: For the proof of the 99% score there is no longer an upload feature on the current application. Instead you need to email your attachment to: enrollment-office@pps.net Thanks and please reach out if you have any application questions!

Welcome Atomic folks!

I'm so excited to be sharing our 3rd year together. It's a combination of stability for us with our second year in our permanent home and increased support staff as well as an extended strike and school closure. Throughout our focus is on centering our Atomic students and ensuring we are engaging all students and fostering a safe environment, so that learning and acceleration happens that spurs everyone to true growth. We know when we have strong relationships and see each other as fully human beings, incredible creativity and enrichment can happen. This year our staff is working with the book Equity By Design as we grow our own practices to serve students even more effectively. We are looking forward to every minute of instructional and relational time we get to be together, working to make our Atomic connections result in the strongest Molecule possible. 

With Atomic Appreciation, 

Anthony Bromberg

Proud ACCESS Principal

abromberg@pps.net 

Hello Atomic Community!

Thanks to all current, past, and future Atoms for making 21-22 an incredible experience of learning and community-building as we thrived even during a year of constant changes and many logistical challenges. I'm beyond impressed with our students, staff, and families and continue to be so honored to be your principal. 

As we prepare for the 22-23 school year, there is so much to be excited about! We are beyond thrilled to be coming together in our new (to us!) building at 6318 S. Corbett Ave. We have a space that is all ours, and we are going to daily make more Atomic as we inhabit it. We look forward to community partnership as we learn all the great ways we can use it to more effectively serve all our Atoms. We're also proud and delighted to have an updated mission and vision to undergird all our work and help us stay centered in the values and goals that make us Atomic. We have a great foundation from which to launch into even more amazing and equitable work. 

As your principal, I'm going to work to model and facilitate our values and mission every single day. I'm going to be listening to our students and each of you to ensure that I'm the best partner I can possibly can be in your Atomic work. It's going to be a lot of fun!

Ever Atomically Yours,

Anthony Bromberg

Hello Atoms and Future Atoms, 

I am so glad to be here with you, each and every one of you: Atomic students, staff members, family and community members, and those of you who are exploring the possibility of what ACCESS might be able to offer you. 

It is truly an honor to be your ACCESS Academy principal. I am here because I deeply believe that each of us are highly gifted and deserve to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically as lifelong learners and valued global community members and that every aspect of our education must reflect that. 

Our ACCESS team is committed to proactively working for equity and applying PPS’s Racial Equity and Social Justice framework intersectionally as we critically analyze and dismantle all oppressions, such as those based on race, gender, sexuality, ability, language, culture and more that deny learners full access to the best education possible. We know each of our learners deserves an education that meets their unique needs, and we’re going to personalize their experience to ensure they are accelerated with excellence. We also know that we are part of a learning community that extends beyond the ACCESS buildings, and we want to connect with and provide support for accelerated learning across PPS. There is a place for each of us in the ACCESS family. To that end, we are going to be moving toward an equity-centered Restorative Practices framework of communication and community building. Every voice matters, and we want to learn from yours.

My personal mission this year as your principal is the following: My every interaction with all Atoms (students, staff, and family/community members) will facilitate more access to and awareness of our talents and gifts as well as to more power, both personal and systemic, as we continue to grow the greatest learning community in the world. I am going to do this by being fully present with you, listening and learning how best to facilitate your learning, constantly reflecting on my own growth and learning, and collaborating with you on implementing the best practices for each of our learners. 

The 21-22 school year is going to get off to a great start! We’re going to do amazing, creative work together as we transition back to in-person learning safely and get to plan for the awesome reunification of our elementary and middle schools at the Terwilliger location. Please look out for regular newsletter updates about ACCESS on the school news section of the website's homepage, which will also go out to current families through the School Messenger system. And in the meantime, whatever the time, whether you are currently part of the academy or want to know more about how we can serve you and/or your family in accelerated learning growth, please reach out. I want to hear from you and am always learning from your questions and feedback.

Thank you again for being here. It is a privilege to share with you and to benefit from your special talents and gifts. You rock!

Your Atomically Proud Principal,

Anthony Bromberg

abromberg@pps.net

When Beckham Weatherby picks up his tuba, the rest of the world falls away. 

“I don’t get that nervous and I don’t get stage fright at all,” he said. “I guess I got lucky with how my body reacts to performing in front of crowds.”

Which is something the McDaniel High School junior has done quite a bit of lately. Not only is he a member of the prestigious Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP) and the PYP conservatory orchestra, but he recently earned first prize in the tuba solo performance category at the Oregon State Solo Music Championships.

The first things you notice when you walk into Ellie Jensen’s classroom at Boise-Eliot/Humboldt Elementary School are peace and warmth. Then you hear the laughter of children. Then you just might see two posters hanging on the walls that tell you a great deal about the kind of teacher she has been for the past 50 years. The posters simply say, “Leave a little sparkle wherever you go” and “Be a friend.”

Jensen, known as “Miss Ellie” to the hundreds of students she has taught in her half a century as a Portland Public Schools educator, can’t help but light up a room. And she is a friend to all children. 

We dare you to drive by the Mainspring Food Pantry on the corner of 82nd Avenue and Fremont and not do a double take. Or a triple take. 

Students from McDaniel High School’s art-focused Career Technical Education (CTE) class have spent the last four weeks turning the exterior walls of the pantry into one, huge, joyful mural as part of the course’s exploration of climate justice and community engagement.

A little over 30 years ago, a Madison High School student named Joseph Janson had a simple wish. He wanted to go to a dance. But nothing was simple for Joseph, who was born with Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy and was confined to a wheelchair. 

He confided his wish to Tony Nitz, who at that time was an educational assistant at Madison (now Leodis V. McDaniel High School). Tony had been working one-on-one with Joseph for months and he immediately went about making the young man’s dream come true.

“The truth is, I would have done anything for Joseph,” Nitz said. “He was a unique person, and we had a very special bond.”