Support King School and Get Your Books!

Don’t dread the holiday shopping season–it can be for a good cause! King School is holding its second-annual bookfair fundraiser at the Lloyd Center Barnes and Noble store on the 27th. That’s the Saturday after Thanksgiving from noon to 5:00pm. There will be performances by one of Cleveland High School’s choral groups; King students will read their stories; volunteers will lead fun activities for the kids; and PTA volunteers will be gift wrapping all day–open to close. All you need to do is bring your shopping list and print out a voucher to give to the cashier. The vouchers are at: www.pps.k12.or.us/schools/king/.

Every purchase you make, including the in-store cafe and e-readers, will support King’s ongoing programs that raise student achievement and enrichment. Even if you don’t have shopping to do, stop by and meet the PTA and enjoy the entertainment. Find out about how parents are striving to build bridges between the school and the larger community.

Ockley Green Family Art Night

Ockley Green School will hold a family art night on Wednesday, December 1st starting at 6:00 pm. There will be free performances and family arts activities. The Ockley Green Children’s Choir will perform songs of protest and praise honoring Nelson Mandela and there will be a silent auction and raffle.

Ockley Green Arts and Technology School is a public K-8 magnet school in North/Northeast Portland. The school is small but diverse, with a dedication to learning and a strong sense of community. Ockley Green offers unique and varied forms of arts and technology education, from African dance to electronic music. The school is home to the Ockley Green Children’s Choir and an award-winning MESA team.

Connect with them on Facebook and LinkedIn:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=186831146824
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=3507525&trk=anet_ug_grppro

All proceeds benefit Ockley Green Children’s Choir and Ockley Green PTO CASH/CHECKS ONLY
Ockley Green is a public K-8 magnet school
6031 North Montana Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97217
503-916-5660
www.pps.k12.or.us/schools/ockleygreen
familyart_2010_v3

Portland Schools Make Plans to Enter the 21st Century

A meeting was held Thursday night at the home of former school board co-chair Julie Brim-Edwards to sound out the local Portland Public Schools community about a long-planned bond measure that would update all of PPS’s nearly 100 school buildings. About 50 parents and school volunteers attended and were given the details of the plan thus far by board member Bobbie Regan. The cash-strapped district has seen property tax revenues fall far behind property values due to property-tax limitations. PPS has been in a holding mode of trying to maintain its infrastructure as it steadily declines since much of it was built over 70 years ago. Many building still use out of date, environmentally inefficient bunker-oil fueled boilers such as King School. According to Ms. Regan, the custodial staff at Faubion told her the boiler there requires 7 hours of cleaning per week to keep it operating safely.

The bond measure, if the board votes to put it on the ballot this fall, will prioritize high schools for most of the initial work so that the maximum number of current PPS students and parents will see a benefit. The improvements could take 30 years to complete and will involve whole buildings being gutted and rebuilt. Jefferson, Roosevelt and Cleveland High Schools would be the first three. Jefferson will become the new middle college program for all of Portland and its graduates will leave with college credit, easing their transition to higher education and on track to a career. The new campus will be closely integrated with PCC Cascade campus across Killingsworth.

In addition to the three high schools slated for total overhaul in the first round, money from the first bond (the bond will be up for renewal every six years until work is complete) will be available to bring all Portland high school facilities up to more suburban-level standards with respect to science lab and sports facilities. With the newfound appeal of urban living and the walkable neighborhood, the investment in public institutions and facilities is lagging behind ideals. Approximately 80% of Portlanders don’t have school age children and therefore are not intimately aware of the need for this update. With investment in schools, stable, multigenerational neighborhoods with people invested in their local community and higher property values will result.

Learn more on the PPS site: http://www.pps.k12.or.us/departments/schoolmodernization/index.htm

Local Leaders Institute This Weekend

From the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods:

Are you interested in learning about the history of Portland from local leaders and understanding why it is relevant today? How do you get more participation from your group?

Join the dynamic Local Leaders Institute this Friday, Nov 12 from 5-8pm and Saturday, Nov 13 from 10am-3pm in NE Portland. http://bit.ly/LocalLeadersInstitute

Come out Friday evening and hear from local and national representatives from Portland, Oregon. Spend an evening and dinner with former Senator Margaret Carter, former City Commissioner candidate Betty Harris and Vancouver Avenue Baptist Pastor J.W. Hennessee. The topics will cover the history of the Neighborhood System and its initial purpose and role in local government and in the community; the local history of Portland and the changes to culture, environment and demographics; and how to become a motivated leader in your community. Each presenter will speak, followed by a question and answer session. The amount of rich history and energy present for this session will be fantastic!

Continue reading

King School Bookfair at Barnes and Noble

Save the date of November 27th to do you book shopping for the holidays and support King School at the same time. All purchases at the Lloyd Center Barnes and Noble store on the Saturday after Thanksgiving from 12-5 will benefit King School PTA programs that support literacy programs and teachers at King School. There will be performances and activities and the PTA will be selling their excellent gift wrapping services. Stay tuned for more information or go to: http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools/king/351.htm