Category Archives: Community Involvement

Conduct a Tree Inventory in your Community in 2013

Posted on by

treinvApplications are due January 15!

Walking around your neighborhood, do you see areas available for tree planting, street trees in need of maintenance, and neighbors who are concerned but don’t know where to begin? Urban Forestry is helping Portlanders take action to improve their community’s street trees by conducting tree inventories and creating neighborhood tree plans.

Communities begin by forming tree teams and gathering volunteers to conduct a street tree inventory. Volunteers are guided by Urban Forestry staff, who provide training and tools. Together, information is collected on tree species, size, health, site conditions, and available planting spaces. Data is analyzed and findings are presented to neighborhood stakeholders. Achievable strategies are set by the collective body to improve existing trees, identify opportunities for an expanding tree canopy, and connect the neighborhood with city and non-profit resources. The result is a Neighborhood Tree Plan. The plan identifies the current status and health of neighborhood street trees and provides recommendations for neighborhood action.
Continue reading →

School Change Scenarios Released, Feedback Sought

Posted on by

scenPortland Public Schools has released six scenarios of suggested changes to schools in parts of North and Northeast Portland that have priority enrollment to Jefferson Middle College for Advanced Studies. This enrollment balancing process is tasked with resolving issues due to overcrowding at some schools and underenrollment at others.

King PreK-8, with 290 students in grades K-8 is the second smallest school in the cluster now that Humboldt was merged with Boise-Eliot and Tubman Young Women’s Academy was closed. A major consideration is whether to convert some schools back from K-8 to K-5 and add one or two middle schools. Some schools may be closed or merged, or be converted to split campuses, with different elementary grades in different buildings. While not necessarily intended as final options, the six scenarios were distributed to garner feedback from the public to help craft the final solutions. These, more refined proposals will be mailed to parents over winter break and posted to the PPS Enrollment Balancing page.

The deadline for feedback is this Wednesday, December 12th. The feedback form is available on the PPS site and can be returned to any PPS school or feedback can be emailed to enrollment-office@pps.net.

After winter break, public comment will be taken in January. Then, the Superintendent will make a recommendation to the school board who must approve the changes. If there is not a delay, the changes will take effect in fall of 2013.

A facebook group was begun to give parents, community members, and some school board members a forum to discuss the proposals and the larger issue of educational quality, programming, leadership, and transfer policy in the Jefferson Cluster. You can join in at: http://www.facebook.com/groups/291158914333031/

Community Meetings Dec.3rd, 4th, to Collect Responses to Schools Concept Plans

Posted on by

Proposed changes to North and Northeast Portland schools were released last week in the form of  six scenarios.  These are available here: http://www.pps.k12.or.us/files/enrollment-transfer/Jeff_PK8_Cluster_EB_Scenarios.pdf

There are two meetings this week that are important, but something everyone can do (even if you cannot attend the meeting) is to give your input. The best way to give input is by filling out the feedback form at this web link:
http://www.pps.k12.or.us/files/enrollment-transfer/Jeff_PK8_Cluster_EB_Scenario_Feedback.pdf
Please, share this with community members. They do not have to have children at the schools to have an opinion or valid ideas.   Specific points to think about were mentioned at the school board meeting last night:

  • how do you feel about the timeline being proposed (final decision by February, implementation Fall 2013)?
  • how do you feel about middle schools vs. K-8?
  • how do you feel about neighborhood schools (defined as 20 minutes walking or less)?
  • would you/do you send your child to your neighborhood school? Why? If not, why not?
  • do you believe that re-balancing efforts will solve the capture rate problem that PPS is trying to address?

The last two community input meetings will be held tonight at Beach School,  1710 North Humboldt Street 6-7:30 (in Spanish), or on Wednesday at Faubion School, 3039 Northeast Rosa Parks Way 6-7:30.  Many people of the general community, families with young kids who are not yet in school, etc., are not included in this conversation.

October KNA Agenda

Posted on by

King Neighborhood Association Meeting
King Neighborhood Facility, 4815 NE 7th Avenue
October 9, 2012 – 6:30 to 8:30 pm

6:30 Welcome, introductions, last meeting minutes, agenda.

6:40 Update from Portland Police Bureau.

6:50 Update from NECN.

7:00 KNA ongoing tasks and projects:

Quick Trip letter / SALT report Teri
Backpack Program Alan
Rock the Vote Alan
By-laws Alan
Land Use Andrew

7:30 King Mural Project Rodolfo Serrano

7:40 PPS bond ballot measure

7:50 Postal crisis and our response

8:00 New business
Summer camp – Tsuga
PSU MURP – project planning

8:10 Public comment

8:30 Adjournment

Kitchen Commons seeks volunteers to train for food security

Posted on by

SAVE THE DATE! Cooking up Community

Do you work with an organization or non- profit that is thinking about integrating community cooking programs into your work?
Are you interested in using collective cooking groups as a way to support food justice and increase food security in your community?
Have access to a kitchen space that can be utilized by the public?

If so, join Kitchen Commons for an informal info session and training on Collective Cooking Group Facilitation. Our group leaders and coordinators will share what we have learned throughout the year in our pilot cooking groups, share resources and help you navigate through the initial steps of organizing your own cooking group. We’ll be meeting in one of our partner kitchens, with a chance to prepare a simple dish together. Our brand new Collective Cooking Group Handbooks will also be available to share with participants.

Collective Cooking Groups are a way of stretching food dollars, strengthening community ties and fostering resource and skill sharing. A typical group meets monthly or weekly, divides into teams to cook large quantities of several recipes, shares a meal together, and then takes home portions of each recipe to freeze or use during the week. Participants learn from each other, sharing tips and tactics for cooking healthy food even with busy schedules.

WHEN: Saturday, October 20th 2012 12-2 pm
WHERE: Trinity Full Gospel Pentecostal
Church, 4801 NE 19th Avenue Portland, OR 97211
Light refreshments provided. Send RSVPs or questions to rell@kitchencommons.net. Space is limited.

MISSION: Kitchen Commons matches kitchen resources with community need, making it affordable and practical to cook healthy food, putting the dream of a food business in reach of low-income entrepreneurs, and advocating for food justice. http://kitchencommons.net