OUR DREAM COMES TRUE NOVEMBER 4TH
Stop in this weekend and support our project for raising funds
to give free art classes to young people in our community.
FIRST FRIDAY GRAND OPENING
Many thanks to McCoy Academy for providing us with a home.
Bobby Fouther
P.O. Box 9191
Portland, Oregon 97207
503-422-3076
View Artwork
bobbyfouther.com
King Neighborhood Association Special General Meeting:
October 31st, 6:00-6:45 pm
King Neighborhood Facility
4815 NE 7th Avenue
Hello all:
King Neighborhood Association has the opportunity to meet and discuss two proposed projects that are would affect livability in our neighborhood. Each of these projects is being submitted for a grant with the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, whose grant process has a deadline of November 1st. The proposals were not completed in time to be considered at KNA’s last meeting, so we’ve scheduled a special Halloween meeting to look each of them over and decide whether to endorse them.
• KING SCHOOL PARK/KING SCHOOL MURAL AND GRAFFITI ABATEMENT PROJECT
Local artist Rodolfo Serna working with the arts-to-schools program, the Right Brain Initiative, will work with students at all age levels in King School as an artist-in-residence to produce a mural to beautify the King School Park grounds and create a sense of place and identity out of a blank wall adjacent to the tennis courts. This area is a frequent target for graffiti due to its large empty vertical surface. Murals have been shown to reduce the incidence of graffiti and this project will fill a gap in King’s visual arts curriculum this year. As King continues to develop its International Baccalaureate program, integrating more art into the school will be crucial to developing the student body’s various means of expression and will develop investment in the wider community.
• DOOR-TO-DOOR SURVEY OF NORTHEAST MEN’S WELLNESS GOALS & FAVORITE ACTIVITIES, AS WELL AS REFERRALS TO NEIGHBORHOOD WELLNESS RESOURCES:
Manifest, an eight-year-old non-profit men’s wellness organization that empowers men to prevent & address chronic illness (heart disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV, & depression/suicide), will be doing a door-to-door survey this spring of hundreds of men’s’ wellness goals, challenges, & favorite activities in the Concordia, Vernon, King, & Sabin neighborhoods. We also will be referring these men to local businesses, non-profits, churches, government agencies, and neighbor organizations that can help them achieve their most important wellness goals. Men in our neighborhoods are dying five years before women from five completely preventable illnesses, and those illnesses are costing our county & state more than a $1 billion annually in unnecessary & painful treatments of diseases we could easily prevent & address right here in our neighborhood with existing resources like local wellness-related businesses, non-profits, churches, government agencies, & neighborhood groups. Men need regular exercise, good food, work, & community focused on wellness, and they are more likely to do these things regularly when they can do them close to home. Manifest intends to hire diverse local men to do the surveys and make neighborhood referrals as they are completing each survey.
We understand that Halloween plus such short notice may make it difficult to attend. If you have a bit of time to spare on Monday, we welcome your participation and input on these proposals. for more information, email us at info@kingneighborhood.org. We hope to see you there!
From Kitchen Commons:
Hello my name is Mollie and I would like to inform you about a new organization called Kitchen Commons.
MISSION:
Kitchen Commons is a network of Portland metro area community kitchen and food preservation organizers. Our goal is to improve community food security by supporting and developing spaces in our neighborhoods where people can come together to learn about cooking and preserving food on a budget, and access equipment and resources for both personal and microenterprise use. Our vision is to build community through food by joining together, cooking together, and feeding families together.The role of Kitchen Commons is to support, develop, and promote and match kitchen resources with community needs. By fostering the development of lots of different kinds of kitchens, we can help to meet lots of different evolving needs in different communities. We do this by connecting neighborhood kitchen organizers with resources and tools, creating opportunities to network and share ideas, and advocating for policies that facilitate the development and use of community kitchens.
We’ve found that it’s important to emphasize that there are lots of community kitchen activities that don’t require certification or special equipment like classes and community cooking events. Also we are interested in helping groups fundraise or solicit in-kind donations in order to improve their kitchen space. Several groups with kitchens have thought that they could not participate with us at all because their kitchen isn’t certified or has various deficiencies.
PROJECT:
Right now our website is in the process of being built. Kitchen Commons is a very new non-profit. The first step to making this website successful is to find organizations that are interested in publicizing their accessible kitchen, and adding it to our website.My question to you is, do you have a Kitchen you would like to open up to your community or neighborhood? If so we are a free resource to publicize your kitchen to the public and help overcome barriers to community use of your kitchen.
Please let me know if your interested in knowing more information and I would love to speak with you more about it. Thanks so much for your time!
Sincerely,
Mollie
mollie@kitchencommons.net
Enrollment balancing 2012-2014: What it means for your school
Each year a new group of children starts kindergarten at Portland Public Schools, and each year a senior class graduates. Families also move around. In addition, PPS enrollment is growing. These shifts result in schools with too many or too few students. Enrollment data from October show that many PPS elementary, middle and K-8 schools are smaller or larger than enrollment targets. PPS plans to balance enrollment over several years— possibly by shifting school boundaries, adding space or changing grade configurations. The Portland School Board must approve any changes.
Schools that may be affected
First up for consideration will be schools where enrollment discussions began last year: ACCESS Academy, Alameda Elementary School, Beaumont Middle School and Sabin, Rigler and Vernon K-8 schools. Changes at these schools may impact surrounding schools: Irvington, Roseway Heights and Scott K-8 schools. In 2012, enrollment balancing will expand to other schools with high growth or low enrollment, with changes taking effect in 2013.
Factors that influence enrollment balancing
Schools are different sizes — School buildings vary greatly, from eight classrooms to nearly 100.
School funding follows students — The state of Oregon regulates school funding, which is largely provided on a per-student basis. That means that the number of teachers is closely tied to the number of students.
School size targets: A guideline, not a rule — The district is working to develop target enrollment ranges for schools that will help ensure an adequate number of teachers. However, limitations of building size and geography mean that these targets can only be part of the answer.
Community input — Numbers don’t tell the whole story. Schools are important community centers, and Portlanders have strong feelings about their neighborhoods.
Details and latest information: pps.net (click “Enrollment Balancing” at bottom left)
Comments or questions: enrollment-office@pps.net
Community meetings
PPS invites questions and input at the following meetings.
For the latest meeting schedule, go to pps.net (click “Enrollment Balancing” at bottom left) or email enrollment-office@pps.net.
Oct. 27, 6-7:30 p.m. Sabin PK-8 School auditorium, 4013 N.E. 18th Ave.
Nov. 2, 6-8 p.m. Rigler K-8 School auditorium, 5401 N.E. Prescott St.
Nov. 3, 6:30-8 p.m. Alameda Elementary School cafeteria, 2732 N.E. Fremont St.
Nov. 7, tentative date, time to be determined Irvington K-8 School, 1320 N.E. Brazee St.
Nov. 8, time to be determined Beaumont Middle School, 4043 N.E. Fremont St.
Vernon PK-8 School, time and date to be determined
City of Portland, CASH Oregon, and the Financial Planning Association of Portland invite you to attend Portland Financial Planning Day on Saturday, October 22, 2011 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Portland Building, 1120 SW 5th Avenue, 2nd floor, where you’ll be able to meet one-on-one with dozens of professional financial planners to discuss your personal finance questions, concerns and interests.
Information will be provided on a pro-bono basis by experts from the Financial Planning Association and highly qualified CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals. There are no strings attached – volunteering financial planners will not pass out business cards, marketing materials or sell products or services.
You may seek information and advice on a wide range of topics, including:
GENERAL FINANCIAL PLANNING
Buying a Home – Debt Management
Building a College Fund – Savings Goals
______________________________________
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
Job Loss and Job Change – Foreclosure Assistance
Change in Marital Status
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INVESTMENT PLANNING
Investment Strategies – Asset Accumulation
Generating Investment Income
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RETIREMENT PLANNING
Building a Retirement Fund – 401(k) and 403(b) Plans
IRA Accounts – Social Security
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INCOME TAX PLANNING
Tax Reduction Strategies
Charitable Contributions – Small Business Taxation
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ESTATE PLANNING
Building an Inheritance – Wills and Trusts
Estate Tax Strategies
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INSURANCE PLANNING
Life Insurance Coverage – Disability Insurance
Long-term Care Planning
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EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Managing Health Insurance – Health Savings Accounts
Pension Benefits
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In addition to personalized advice, Portland Financial Planning Day will also feature a series of classroom-style 50-minute Educational Workshops