Category Archives: King School

NECN Awards $33,469 in Grants for Community-driven Projects

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From NECN:

Mobile vendors supplying food deserts with healthy, affordable meals, spring break programs pairing sixth-grade girls with high-school mentors and a food and culture festival highlighting senior hunger are just three of sixteen innovative projects funded by the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods’ Small Grant Program in 2012.
With a goal of building livable, equitable and sustainable neighborhoods and communities for all, the Office of Neighborhood Involvement allocated funds to NECN for two funding categories: Neighborhood Small Grants as well as for Graffiti Abatement Projects. The Coalition received fourty-four proposals, with requests totaling $123,921.
With the support of Commissioner Amanda Fritz, NECN incorporated economic development as a funding priority this year. Both Oregon Outreach’s certified nursing assistant job training program and Port City’s creation of a micro-enterprise, training adults with developmental disabilities to remove graffiti on businesses on N Williams Avenue fit into this category.

The following projects are excellent examples of how people in inner north and northeast Portland are working together to improve the quality of our neighborhoods by building community, increasing volunteer capacity and forging new organizational partnerships (listed alphabetically):

Neighborhood Small Grants

Access to Healthy Food through Community-based Mobile Vending
Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, Inc. (PCRI) Granted $1,488
PCRI and Fork In The Road propose to provide low-income individuals with access to affordable, healthy food by bringing mobile vending into areas of concentrated need.

After-School Chess Programs at King, Woodlawn, Vernon and Faubion
Chess for Success Granted $1,500
Now in its 20th year, this project funds after-school chess clubs at Faubion, King, Vernon and Woodlawn schools.
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Neighbors, PTA Pitch In on MLK Day of Service

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The community turned out on Monday, January 16th on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service to make a dent in the weeds and trash at King School Park. English ivy had taken over the south side of the parking lot at the King Neighborhood Facility and was hiding all manner of things thereunder. A robust group of neighbors, King School PTA members, and invasive species foes dug, hacked snipped and pulled all day. The result is that the strip of land is now nearly completely cleared and several truck loads were hauled away.

Thanks to a grant from NECN and the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District, the area will be re-landscaped with native plants that are not invasive and that will thrive in the location while providing an easily maintained habitat. There are tentative plans to finish the clearing on President’s Day, February 20th.

Special thanks go to all the volunteers, Portland Farmers Market, Whole Foods, Starbucks, and Metro.

Come out for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

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There will be a second round on the invasive species removal at the King Facility Parking Lot, next January 16th from 10:00-4:00, for MLK day. AmeriCorps seem very interested in helping us in the project. Hopefully they will send some hands the 16th. At the same time the King School PTA will be coordinating a cleanup, weeding, graffiti removal project on the school grounds, playground, and local area.

The Portland Farmers Market is also planning to bring a small crew, a tent and some snacks. Whole Foods has also pledged pastries, snacks and drinks.
So far, it is unlikely that we will have an excavator on this day.

We estimate that now we are around 20 volunteers, but some will come on the 14th and others the 16th. We would love to have 20 more folks helping us. Please join us!

We have a truck to do the trips to Metro on Saturday, but still need more for Monday the 16th.

The land we’re clearing of invasive species, and prepping for later installation of native plant species, borders the King Facility parking lot,

at 4815 NE Wygant at 7th. We are also looking for someone to watch kids so we can provide day care for the volunteers. Let Diego know if you can help.

Diego Gioseffi
808-779-3435

Trace Salmon
King PTA
info@kingpta.org

KNA Special Meeting to Endorse Grant Seekers

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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!

PPS to Adjust Elementary, K-8 Boundaries

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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