2409 N. Saratoga St.?Portland, OR 97217?Ph (503) 916-6255?Fx (503) 916-2618
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Spring Pictures are coming up on April 2nd after spring break!
Spring pictures are optional and only students that turn in forms or submit an online order will have their picture taken.
If your student would like to participate, please send in the picture order form that was sent home or you can order .
Kindergarten registration opens March 1st!
If you have a child who will be 5 years old on or before September 1st, please register for kindergarten when the application opens up! To register click here. The process takes 20-30 minutes and can be done entirely online. If you prefer a paper registration, please contact our front office at 503-916-6255 or call Enrollment & Transfer at 503-916-3205.
Dear Chief Joseph Elementary Families,
As we wrap up this school year and move into summer, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours the very best. May your summer be a safe, healthy and happy one!
We would like to congratulate our students on completing another successful school year, and wish our outgoing 5th graders the best in their future endeavors and academic pursuits. We are very proud of our students. I also want to share my appreciation for all of the hard work, dedication and perseverance that our teachers and staff consistently demonstrate to the children we serve. We accomplished a lot this year and will continue to build on the strength of our community. It truly is special to attend a neighborhood school where your classmates are your neighbors, and families come together to build a community within the school as well as the larger surrounding community. A special thank you to families, who continue to support our school at home, and through communication and volunteering with the school.
The academic calendar for the 2024-25 year is out and posted on the district website. The first day of school for our 1st- 5th grade students will be Tuesday, August 27th. Parents should expect to receive a welcome back letter from the school in mid August with preliminary class placements and back to school information.
Kindergarten will have a ramp-up schedule to help with the transition to school during the last week of August; this schedule will be mailed to families in August. The first full day for all kindergarten students is Tuesday, September 3rd.
The district has set the Community Care’s day where we will have a work party at the school on Saturday, August 17th from 9am – noon. We hope that you can mark your calendar and join us for this annual tradition.
I also want to remind parents of the big shift in the student day. Next year, the student day will begin at 8:00 am, with the doors opening at 7:55. Breakfast will be provided in the cafeteria beginning at 7:45. Due to the change in start time, we will no longer have morning supervision on the playground and ask that parents supervise students before school. Students not with an adult will be asked to go to the cafeteria where they can be supervised.
We will continue to be a CEP school, which means breakfast and lunch will continue to be free for all students. There are still a number of moving parts when it comes to staffing, as we are impacted by layoffs and seniority across the district. I will be able to tell you more in August.
Regards,
Amber Gerber
Principal
½ûÂþÌìÌà is continuing to host a series of events aimed at starting productive conversations about what is possible in the systems we create for our children with disabilities.
As part of this series, we are excited to welcome you to a free screening of on Thursday March 20 at . Doors open at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at 7:00.
The Ride Ahead is a film about adult life with disabilities by a man with disabilities. It is the debut of 21-year-old Samuel Habib who, struggling to find his place in the world, decides to make a film that charts how a group of disabled adults navigate challenges and forge their own unique paths. The film serves as a roadmap for himself and others and illustrates the compelling power of one person truly determined to live life on his own terms.
In documenting his journey, Samuel is following in the footsteps of his father, the filmmaker Dan Habib. You can learn more about their work .
Staff, families, and community members are all invited. Parking is free and McMenamins' full menu is available for ordering. We hope to see you there!
In meteorological terms, Portland’s first big weather event of 2024 was the definition of a perfect storm. Frigid temperatures and high winds combined with snow and ice to bring down tree limbs, close roads, scramble traffic, freeze pipes, and knock out power for tens of thousands of residents.
It was a metaphorical perfect storm for ½ûÂþÌìÌà as well. Fallen trees cut power to multiple schools and others have suffered water damage from broken pipes. Lack of heat was also a problem, and impassable roads, paired with snowed-in and icy parking lots, made it impossible for buses to run safely. Those same conditions limited how the district’s facilities and operations teams can even assess the scope of the issues, let alone begin working on solutions. And icy sidewalks meant walkers have no safe route to school.
This week could bring similar conditions to the Portland area, and ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ’s School Closure Team is ready to meet the challenge. The team convenes regularly during inclement weather to take all of the above into careful consideration. By now, families are quite familiar with how the district communicates these decisions. What’s perhaps less known is how district leaders arrive at such decisions in the first place.
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 ½ûÂþÌìÌà 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 ½ûÂþÌìÌà 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!
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM School Board - Policy Committee
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM School Board- Regular Meeting
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM School Board - Audit Committee
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM CJES Family Game Night
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM School Board - Special Meeting or Work Session