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As part of our district's focus on events that center belonging, equity, and inclusion, we have been screening a series of films that we hope will challenge our perceptions about what is possible in the systems we create for our children with disabilities.

The next film in the series is “Champions,” which will screen on Saturday February 8th at 2:00 PM at Lincoln High School. This event will also include first-hand testimonials from PPS students.

This movie highlights the journey of a basketball coach who leads a team of players with intellectual disabilities. Through humor and heartfelt moments, the movie emphasizes the strengths, individuality, and value each player brings to the team and how inclusion enriches communities and creates positive, supportive environments.

Staff, families, and community members are all invited. Parking is free and light refreshment will be provided. We hope to see you there!

We’re thrilled to announce that two PPS teachers were recently awarded the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). 

Krishnan Ranjani,  a teacher of advanced mathematics and Career and Technical Education (CTE) computer systems at Lincoln High School and Nick Nohner, a computer sciences and data sciences teacher at Ida B. Wells High School, were both selected for the honor which is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The award recognizes outstanding educators for their contributions to the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Each awardee will receive a certificate signed by President Joe Biden and a $10,000 award from NSF. Awardees will also travel to Washington, D.C., for an awards ceremony at a future date. 

Congratulations to these two exceptional teachers!

We are thrilled to celebrate an incredible achievement by , who have earned spots in the prestigious All-State Ensembles for the Oregon Music Education Association (OMEA). 

This annual statewide competition recognizes the "best of the best" in student musicianship, bringing together top performers from across Oregon to play in cross-district ensembles at the state music education conference this weekend, January 17-19.

LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL 1/30/25

Happy Lunar New Year! And, happy start to the 3rd quarter of the school year. Teachers have been busy analyzing all your child’s work and effort so far this year, and figuring out the best strategies for next steps in learning as they’ve been writing and preparing report cards this week. It’s been fun to hear and feel all the excitement around goals being met, exceeded and just as important, around all the effort and growth when there is still a way to go toward meeting a grade level benchmark.

We’re at the half-way point of the school year, and it’s a great time to celebrate: every child in our community is listening, sharing, growing, learning and contributing to our school community in meaningful ways. It’s an important time as well, to help your child set new goals, building off areas of strength. A goal we have for every child in our community is that they are listening, thinking and sharing their thoughts in class-- and our own goal as a staff is that we are elevating and affirming each child’s voice.

Ask your child how they feel about Socratic Seminar, Math Talk and Community Circle! We need your help to ensure every child is learning their math facts (17-8, 4x7, 4+4, etc.) and their Trick Words (words like “said” that come up often in reading and writing, but don’t follow expected spelling rules). Your child can tell you the facts or words they’re working on. And, every single time you can create space (ideally, 30 minutes daily, but even 5-7 minutes daily is great) for reading with your child, and talking about what’s been read, it’s going to have a positive impact. Report cards will open on ParentVue next Monday, February 3. If you do not yet have a ParentVue account set up, please call our school office.

Warmly,

Lisa

LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL 1/16/25

I hope you’re all having a great week! Our attendance rate was 91% this week… up a little bit over the 90% rate we’ve been at for the past month or so. Thank you for your hard work getting our dolphin babies to us every day and on time! We really appreciate it.

There are two important events tonight: our own Arleta Neurodivergent Family Gathering from 5:30-7 in our cafeteria and also, a Human Rights “” (Spanish Flyer ) at Kelly School (9030 SE Cooper St, Portland, OR 97266) this evening from 5-7 in their library, hosted jointly by Latino Network, SUN, Multnomah County, Portland Parks and PPS. This event is open to PPS families.This workshop will be facilitated in Spanish. Food and childcare will be provided. This workshop will cover essential topics concerning immigration, what to do, and how to protect themselves in the event of interacting with agencies and authority.

Connected to knowing our rights and how to respond to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) should it be necessary, I want to come back to the Ms. Aud, Ms. Blei and I shared in December and share some additional information. In that message we quoted our Superintendent Dr. Armstrong, and want to reiterate what she said: “We understand that the upcoming federal leadership transition may bring feelings of uncertainty for people in our community. This is especially true for many immigrants and people in marginalized communities. We also know that many of our students and families are experiencing similar feelings of fear and unease.”

Our Arleta Staff is and will continue to be learning and planning for safety for our students and families in the event we experience actions from ICE. Fortunately, there is currently no indication that Homeland Security (ICE) agents intend to target schools. Oregon is a “sanctuary state” and has been since 1987. This means we are committed to protect and safeguard immigrant communities and to continue the prohibition for state and local law enforcement and public bodies (which includes educational institutions) to participate in immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant.

If any of our families or students were approached by Homeland Security, they do not have to, and should not, respond. Families and students can remain silent no matter what is being asked of them. If any of our families were to see ICE talking to someone in a public location, such as a bus stop, our community can remind anyone we see being approached: “You can stay silent; they can’t do anything.” (Buses are private, but bus stops are public: ICE can approach people in public, but again, no one has to respond to them in public or private spaces). ICE can request to come into our school office (only; not the school itself), but we will not buzz them in: our office staff will go to the door (to say we won’t give them any information and that they cannot enter our school). We will deny any request for any information or anything at all from a federal agency unless we have a court order (we do have to comply with the judicial office, which includes courts, state and local juvenile justice agencies and child welfare agencies). is meant to help people assert their rights and defend themselves in many situations. These can be printed out and carried on your person.

We will continue to share information and resources in the coming weeks and beyond.

Warmly,

Lisa

LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL 12/19/24

Dear Arleta Families and Caregivers,

Below are excerpts from a message our superintendent, Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong, sent PPS staff and partners this week that our school counselors and I feel are very important and want to share with you. There are two resources linked below for immigrant rights. We hope to share more resources in the coming weeks and are here for support.

From Dr. Armstrong’s message: We understand that the upcoming federal leadership transition may bring feelings of uncertainty for people in our community. This is especially true for many immigrants and people in marginalized communities. We also know that many of our students and families are experiencing similar feelings of fear and unease.

At Portland Public Schools, our commitment to equity and the inherent dignity of every individual remains steadfast. Our top priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of all students and staff, and we will continue to work tirelessly to uphold that responsibility. We are committed to upholding Oregon law prohibiting state and local law enforcement from arresting or detaining people based only on immigration status. Additionally, Oregon law protects student educational records from use for immigration actions.”

(OREGON ACLU)

Sincerely,

Aud Manansala, Jessica Blei, and Lisa Hawking

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE 11/21/24

We’re excited and busy preparing for conferences next week! Our goal is a conference with every family and for every child so our staff can hear how things are going for your child from your perspective and for you to hear how your child’s experiences and outcomes are coming along from their teacher(s)’ assessments and observations. If you haven’t signed up yet, . You’ll also get to see some of your child’s work displayed on the walls or in classrooms… so much fantastic evidence of learning and connection that our staff facilitates with creativity and dedication, and that you support. We’re excited to celebrate with you, and to create goals for next steps together with you.

When you arrive for conferences in the main building or entry, you’ll find a Welcome Table with copies of our . The hope is that when you read our compact, you’ll feel it represents our “common agenda”, or what you want for your child, and our community’s collective wish for and commitment to a sense of belonging, love for learning, and successful learning outcomes, for every child. It also outlines ways we all share the responsibility for supporting your child’s learning. Please see my message from last week for more details about how it’s been developed. We’ll also have translated versions available next week.

Our requirement as a school that receives funding through Title 1A is that every child, family and staff member sign this compact every year. We’ll revise it according to our community’s needs next year, so if you have revisions or suggestions needed in order to feel the compact is as you want it to be before you sign it, please write them in to discuss with your child and teacher(s).

Our Enrichment Teachers (Music, Library, Art and PE) are happy to meet with you during conferences too. Because most work at two schools, they will be at Arleta during specific windows of time that may or may not match up with your child’s conference time, but please feel free to call the office if you’d like to set up a specific time as they can meet virtually, on the phone, or arrange something else if needed. Specialists including Specials Teachers, School Counselors, Instructional Support and Office Staff will all be taking shifts at our Welcome Tables in the annex and main building, so if you’re hoping to connect with someone specific in addition to your child’s teacher, please ask whoever is there how and where to find them and we’ll get you set up.

Speaking of Specials, each child in our school will get to perform some music for families at an evening performance thanks to our wonderful Music Specialist Mr. C, and our first showcase for grades 3-5 is coming up Thursday, December 12. See specifics on the flier below. Our K-2 Evening Music Showcase will be March 13!

Thank you, and see you next week!

~Lisa