161 NE 82nd Avenue•Portland, OR 97220•Ph (503) 916-6437•Fx (503) 916-2679
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The lovely RAIN has come! Please send an extra set of clothing to include shoes for your students. We do go outside if it is sprinkling or intermittent rain and if students get wet, we do not have enough extra clothing or shoes to let them change.

Tuesday, November 11 - School Closed - Veterans Day observation
Thursday, November 20 - SUN Fall Showcase (last day of SUN)
Friday, November 21 - PTA Free Movie Night
Monday & Tuesday, November 24 and 25 - Conferences, NO SCHOOL for Students
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, November 26, 27 and 28 - School Closed
Hello to the amazing Vestal hive!
Happy Thursday- YUP, it is Thursday again!!!
Tomorrow is Spirit day, Spinny Wheel day and the Fresh Food Market!!
What a fun week…not sure what is in the air, but the kids said some really funny things this week! It was a terrific reminder of how THANKFUL I am to work with your kids every day. Just today a kid gave me a high five on his way out and said, with confidence, “Ms. Sabrina, I just farted!” What other jobs is that age appropriate and just delightful??
As we enter a week without students, please know all of our staff will miss your children! We all hope you each are able to enjoy the week together and with family.
We will look forward to seeing folks come in to meet with teachers for conferences! If you have not signed up for a day/time, PLEASE check in with your child’s teacher tomorrow!!
Tomorrow- Friday Nov. 20th is Movie Night!!!! Come join us to watch K-Pop Demon Hunters!!
Successful Schools Survey!
Vestal has had 34 folks fill out this survey! My goal is to get to 100! Please take a few minutes to fill out if you can….it is truly helpful feedback!
Families can all use the following link: https://surveys.
Hello families,
We’ve just begun our soccer unit in PE! Students are practicing key skills such as dribbling with control, passing to a partner, and aiming their kicks safely and accurately. We are also focusing on teamwork, spacing, and playing safely during small-sided games.
The kids are already showing great effort and enthusiasm—ask your child to show you how they can trap and pass the ball!
With conferences coming up on Monday and Tuesday next week, I’ll be in my office in the gym both days. Please feel free to stop by and say hi whenever you have a moment—I hope to be in when you come by!
Sincerely,
Mr. McCaffrey
Congratulations to Lincoln High School students Richard Deng and Coral Platt! Both were awarded National Merit Scholarships of $2,500 toward their college studies.
They were chosen from more than 15,000 finalists nationwide. Richard plans to pursue a career in politics and Coral is looking at a future in the legal sector.
Two exceptional PPS educators, Ricardo Barber and Hang Jones, were recently named OnPoint Educators of the Year for 2025.
As part of this prestigious honor, both teachers will have their rent or mortgage paid for an entire year, and their schools also receive a $2,500 donation.
Ricardo Barber teaches third grade at Faubion, and Hang Jones serves as a social worker at Marysville Elementary.
The OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education celebrates educators who embrace innovative teaching techniques that ignite enthusiasm in their students.
Congratulations to Ricardo Barber and Hang Jones! And thank you both for everything you do to make a difference in the lives our students.
The assignment their teacher gave them was simple – make a short film that begins with a phone call and ends with someone hanging up. Benson first-year students Dylan Martinez-Torres and Dariel Soriano Zamora ran it all the way to a small city populated by two very big and rather iconic monsters – Godzilla and Hedora.
The result, Sorry, Wrong Number, is one of the more than 90 films entered into the annual Best of PPS Film Festival. The festival is a celebration of exceptional student filmmaking that includes a showcase at the historic Hollywood Theatre.
The fourth annual installment of the festival took place on May 21 and included a screening of 13 standout films. The films came from all over PPS and ran the gamut from Dylan and Dariel’s monster short to documentaries, film noir, and broadcast journalism.
If you are a passionate student or community member that wants to make a difference at PPS, apply to join the Climate Crisis Response Committee! This is a committee that reports to the PPS Board of Education.
On the committee you will learn about how PPS is making progress towards our climate justice and sustainability policies, provide input and recommendations to the PPS Board on how to better support PPS staff as we advance these policy goals, and connect with other passionate members of our PPS community from diverse backgrounds, knowledge areas, and lived experiences.
No previous professional experience in climate change or sustainability required! Students can apply via this form. Community members can apply here.
Deadline to apply: June 6.
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM School Board - Teaching, Learning, and Enrollment Committee
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM School Board - Regular Meeting
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM School Board - Audit Committee