Meriwether Lewis Elementary School » Principal Notes

Kindergarten Social

Mr. Lauer — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:07:26 +0000

On Tuesday, September 13, 2011 our Lewis PTA welcomed officially welcomed our new kindergarten families with a social on the Lewis Playground. The event provided families an opportunity to meet and get acquainted as we begin the 2011-2012 school year. We thank our PTA and PTA Board members for their support of this event.

Budget and Staffing Update

Mr. Lauer — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 01:02:23 +0000

At this date we don’t know exactly what kind of staffing cut we face at Lewis, but we do anticipate that we will be required to make staffing reductions based on the current budget projections. In anticipation of this, on Wednesday, April 6, 2011 we sent home a short parent survey to provide families an opportunity to share their staffing priorities With this survey I hope to gather information as to the budget priorities reflected in the larger Lewis community. A copy of the survey can be obtained in the school office and is also available online at:

http://goo.gl/8rms5

Mrs. Gould to Retire…

Mr. Lauer — Fri, 21 May 2010 20:55:05 +0000

Dear Lewis Community,

It is with a bittersweet feeling that I share with you the news that Kathy Gould will retire from teaching at the end of the school year.

Mrs. Gould’s career as an educator began in 1975. She started at Lewis as a student teacher and continued on as a classroom teacher. She is recognized by her peers and by the larger Portland education community as a master teacher who provides her students with experiences and opportunities that not only help them learn, but also help them become better people.

In my years as a teacher and school administrator I have met few educators as effective or knowledgeable as she. The students, staff and families of Lewis Elementary have had the benefit of her knowledge and deep commitment to education for the past 35 years. She has touched the lives of so many children. Her dedication and commitment will be something that I, and the Lewis community, will miss as she leaves the classroom and retires.

Please join me in thanking her for her commitment to Lewis and to Portland Public Schools.

Sincerely,
Tim Lauer

Important Contact Information… Please keep us updated…

Mr. Lauer — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:58:32 +0000

We would like to remind our families of having current contact information on file with the office in the event of an emergency. If you have recently acquired a new phone number, or have a new address, please contact the school office so that we can update our records.

Lost and Found

Mr. Lauer — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:23:57 +0000

Our Lost and Found has grown quite large. We plan to donate any remaining items (those without names) over spring break. If you are missing items, please check the lost and found.

North Hallway

Mr. Lauer — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:27:45 +0000

EARLY ENTRY IN THE NORTH HALL BY PARENTS BEFORE 2:55 PM
Recently we have had some adults coming to school quite early to pick up students and waiting on the benches under the 1962 mural in the north hallway. This has presented a bit of a problem with the instructional use of this area. As of today we have instituted a new policy regarding this area. The eastside doors next to the glass case and the Glennwood doors will not be opened until 2:55 pm. I have posted a sign that indicates this and also indicates that adults visiting the school should not be in this area until after 2:55. Adults arriving before 2:55 and wanting to wait for their students, will be directed to the office area to wait there until 2:55.

Fire Lane

Mr. Lauer — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:31:24 +0000

Parking Lot Situation and our Fire lane: PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK THE FIRE LANE
A reminder that we will soon be enforcing a no parking policy in the fire lane area in the parking lot. Recently we have begun to post informational “tickets” on car windshields that are parked in the fire lane. Today the fire lane area began to be painted and we plan to enforce the no parking policy starting next week…

Kindergarten and New Student Information

Mr. Lauer — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:26:12 +0000

This winter Lewis will be offering two informational meetings for prospective families. Please share this information with family and friends who might be interested. The dates and times are listed below. We also offer tours of the school each Wednesday in January and February except for the late opening days, (Jan. 20 & Feb 17)

Lewis Kindergarten Round Up Meetings

Thursday, February 4, 2010 – 9:00 am

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 – 6:00 pm

New Student Information Survey Form:
To help with our planning for next year, if you or someone you know is planning to send their child to Lewis, or to apply to Lewis in the School Choice Lottery, I encourage prospective families to please state their interest by visiting our Lewis Prospective Student survey page. The sharing of this information will help us with our planning for the 2010-2011 school year.

Prospective Student Survey: http://goo.gl/A5Bi

Opening Day

Mr. Lauer — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:39:30 +0000

We had a great opening day Tuesday at Lewis. The sight of so many smiling children and parents is something I always look forward to as we start the new school year. I had an opportunity to spend time in every classroom and I saw happy and hopeful children. I saw teachers and support staff focused on engaging students and welcoming them to the new school year. The best part of my work is to be able to walk into your classrooms and talk to students about the work they are doing and why it is important.

I had the opportunity to view parts of President Obama’s address to students in two of our classrooms. It is a message that should resonate with all of us. Work hard, do your best, respect your teachers, you have a responsibility to succeed, never give up… It was delivered with passion and an understanding that the work that we do can shape the arc of a student’s life. It is important and valuable work that we have the honor of doing and I felt that the President hit the mark in helping our students understand how important education can be in shaping their lives. If you would like to view his address, you can do so at the follow link: President Obama’s Address to Students. I encourage parents to watch the address with their children.

Below are a few reminders:

School begins at 8:40. Students having breakfast as school should arrive at 8:25.

Students riding bikes and skateboards to school must wear a helmet.

Registration forms should be returned to school by Friday.

Free and Reduced Price Meal forms need to be submitted each year. If you believe you qualify to for free and reduced price meals please return the form included in your registration packet to school as soon as possible. Families can also enroll online. For more information please visit the PPS web site: http://www.nutrition.pps.k12.or.us/

Mr. Lauer — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:52:31 +0000

On Tuesday we were able to share with our students the Inauguration of our new President. Below are a few images that show how classrooms viewed the event.