Dear PTA Leaders and Supporters,

Summer will soon be winding down and hopefully you are all taking some time to connect with your families and relax for a bit before school begins.  For some of our PTA leaders their time at the helm has come to an end, while others are just beginning to serve their communities and are spending time this summer to get up to speed. 

There were recently some changes to our PPS School Board and we would like to thank the outgoing PPS Board members: Ruth Adkins, Matt Morton, Bobbie Regan and Greg Belisle for their service to all students. We welcome the current PPS Board members as they begin the new year: Pam Knowles, Steve Buel, Tom Koehler, Julie Esparza Brown, Amy Kohnstamm, Paul Anthony, Mike Rosen and Student Representative Katie Davidson. 

From PTA Leaders to Community Supporters and School Board Members, your time is given freely, improving our schools for all students. Portland Council PTA, sincerely thanks you for the time you devote to them and hopes you enjoy the last days of summer!  

Portland Council Volunteer Celebration: 
Portland Council PTA honors all volunteers and two of Portland Public Schools finest!

On May 20th, Portland Council PTA and PPS held the annual Volunteer Celebration at The Ambridge Event Center. Over 300 volunteers, from schools all over the city, were honored this evening for their hard work all year! 

Portland Council PTA also awarded two of PPS's finest staff members with awards.   The 2015 Principal of the Year award went to Robi Osborn, Principal at Mt. Tabor Middle School. Robi understands the value of an engaged parent community and partners with her volunteers to support and encourage them.  She collaborates with her PTA to bring new and innovative programs to the school.  Thank you Robi Osborn for your service!

The 2015 Teacher of the Year award went to Mark Hansen,  a second grade teacher at Lewis Elementary School. Mark connects with every one of his students, each and every day, by sitting with them on their level to talk and play games. He posts often to his Blog with activities for the week and encourages families to join the class for the next project. Families report that he has turned around students who previously did not want to attend school- now they look forward to coming every day and feel inspired to want to read, study and practice spelling. Portland Council PTA is proud to honor Mark Hansen as 2015 Teacher of the Year!  



Summer Student Learning:
Help your student brush up on math and reading skills before they head back to school!

Even if it has been a nonacademic summer for your student, there is still time to work on skills or concepts learned last year. For the remainder of the summer break, make time everyday for learning. This will insure your student has a great start in the new school year. Studies show that students lose 2-3 months of math learning over the summer months . Brush up on lost math skills with a free program from TenMarks. Find more information HERE .  

Help stop  summer reading slide with just 15-30 minutes of reading each day. Summer is a great time to read for enjoyment  and work on reading comprehension, reinforcing what was learned last school year. You can find  tips to help a struggling reader, read more information on connecting with your child's school, and get summer book lists for all reading levels  HERE

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Health and Safety:
Keeping your family healthy, mind, body and soul!

Have fun, improve your health, build community at the Family Wellness Fair, Saturday, August 8th, 10:00 am- 2:00 pm at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center and Randall Children's Hospital. 

Highlights of the day:

  • Bike or multi-sport helmet sales for $6 -- all helmets are properly fit
  • Experts speaking on healthy habits for people of all ages
  • Hands-on CPR demonstration
  • Raffle prizes; prizes for completing activity "passport"
  • Helicopter, police, fire and safety vehicles to explore
  • Child's car safety seat clinic - Check your child's car seat and receive education on proper use and istallation! 
  • Healthy food demonstration
  • Photo booth
  • Yoga

Plus, many other fun and educational activities in addition to wellness information. Several community partners will host booths and activities for the entire family! Find more information HERE.


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PTA Clothing Center
Making a Difference for PPS students!

Nearly 2000 PPS students used the Portland Council PTA Clothing Center this year!  The hours donated by PTA's and individuals totals over 2800 hours! Thank you for all your work this year to help with this important and necessary program!   
The PTA Clothing Center, located at Marshall HS Campus is now closed to prepare for the upcoming school year, but will re-open for students the week of August 24-26, from 9:30 am-1:30 pm. Students will be able to receive clothing prior to school beginning. The Clothing Center will need volunteers that week to assist students. If you would like to schedule to volunteer that week, please contact PTA Clothing Center Director, Sharon Meigh-Chang via email. 
Local Leader News:
PTA Local Leader News, Tips and Announcements 
  • PTA Presidents
    • Be sure and enter your Officer List into the Oregon PTA database. This allows Portland Council and Oregon PTA to contact leaders over the summer months with announcements and news. 
    • Once your Treasurer has completed your PTA Year End Report, discuss the 2015-2016 PTA Budget with them.
    • Complete any annually required documents such as Articles of Incorporation etc. Oregon PTA President Collin Robinson should be listed at the Registered Agent for all PTA's in Oregon. 
    • Be sure and include room in your PTA Budget to attend the Oregon PTA State Leadership Conference and Convention in Eugene, Oregon April 15-16, 2016 at the Hilton Hotel. Two leaders attending the conference and sharing a room will be approximately $550 with the special Oregon PTA rate. Hotel details can be found HERE.
    • Begin preparing materials that you want to send out in Back to School Packets to all parents. Many PTA's prepare the packets for the school office and in exchange can put their materials into the packets going home with students the first day of school. Some items to include are a PTA Welcome Letter, PTA Membership Information, PTA Event Calendar, PTA Contact Information and Volunteer Form.
  • PTA Treasurers
    • Be working on your year-end financial reports and preparing to have your unit audit completed in the next few weeks. This is a good time to review the signors on the PTA bank account and make any necessary changes. 
    • Work with your President to begin drafting your 2015-2016 PTA Budget. Please consider earmarking funds in your budget for the Portland Council Clothing Center and the Student Aid Fund. These programs are available to every student in PPS. Discuss with your President which leaders will attend the Conference and Convention in Eugene in April and add that to the budget. 
  • All PTA Leaders: Mark you calendars now to attend the Oregon PTA Leadership Training in August or September. This Leadership Training will give vital information to new officers and enhance the leadership skills of even the most seasoned leaders. Training cost is $25/attendee and includes lunch.  
  • Find the National PTA Back To School Kit online, no registration is necessary. The kit includes easy-to-use quick reference guides to help PTA leaders implement all the important strategies and functions of your PTA. This kit contains resources and leadership tools and is designed to assist your executive team in meeting critical benchmarks and goals to ensure each child's success this school year. Find the kit HERE
  • Enroll your PTA in the National PTA School of Excellence Program! The enrollment deadline for the coming school year's program is October 1, 2015. This program will help you to strengthen family engagement at your school when the process is followed through. Find more information on the program HERE.