Community Forum feedback and next steps

Thank you to those who attended the Grant Cluster Enrollment Process Public Forum last Thursday, 1/14.  An eyeball guesstimate puts attendance at about 250 participants, many of whom engaged in small group conversation and written exercises to offer feedback to PPS on the school reconfiguration options and boundary changes for Sabin, Alameda and Beaumont schools.  The comments have been compiled and are available on the PPS website: http://www.pps.k12.or.us/departments/system-planning-performance/5072.htm (first 4 links in right-hand column).

The next steps in the process are as follows:

• January 20 @ Sabin, 6pm: Final BAC Meeting and recommendation[s] to Superintendent
• Week of January 24: Superintendent's recommendation
• January 27 @ Beaumont, time tbd: Community Meeting on Superintendent's recommendation
• February 2: Recommendation to the Board Ad-Hoc Committee on School Assignment Program Initiation and Reconfiguration
• February 7: Board Vote

www.SabinParents.org -- Learn more and share your views

To shed additional light on the Sabin School enrollment process, a couple of Sabin parents spent last weekend developing www.SabinParents.org, "a place to gather facts, share opinions, and advocate for the students of Sabin School."  Please visit the website to learn what your neighbors are saying and to join the conversation.

Sabin School Enrollment Process Update

Dear Sabin Community Members,

Please come to the Community Forum to discuss the Sabin School boundary and enrollment process.  We need the voice of Sabin residents to be heard.

Thursday, January 13

6 to 8 pm

Beaumont School (4043 NE Fremont)

As a member of the Boundary Advisory Committee working on these issues, and as a Sabin Community Association board member, I encourage all Sabin residents and school community members to attend Thursday's meeting.  Two options will be presented at Thursday's meeting, they are simply described by PPS as follows:

Blue Option  

• Boundary change between Alameda and Sabin.  As a result, Sabin receives 25 additional incoming students per year, and fewer are assigned to Alameda.
• Sabin becomes a K-5 school that feeds to Beaumont, increasing Beaumont’s neighborhood enrollment.

Orange Option

• Boundary change between Alameda and Sabin. As a result, Sabin receives 25 additional incoming students per year, and fewer are assigned to Alameda.
• Sabin remains a K-8 school, and Beaumont has a smaller neighborhood population.

The blue option would help to increase Beaumont's enrollment, which is sorely needed, but in the near term it would leave Sabin with many fewer students than it currently has, which would lead to resource cuts.  A concern is that this may lead to a downward spiral for Sabin that is hard to pull out of.  Therefore, it is to preserve the integrity of Sabin School in the near- and long-term as a viable and thriving school for which we must advocate.   I think that two options exist to do this, either keep Sabin a K-8 or demand that PPS commit extra resources to Sabin during this "growing period" as a K-5  Please come and advocate for a strong school and a strong Sabin community.

Thank you,

Clay Veka

Sabin Community Association representative to the PPS Grant Cluster Boundary Advisory Committee

Green Building Questions Answered Here!

Metro, the City of Portland , Multnomah , Washington and Clackamas Counties want to ensure you know about their joint community resource the Regional Green Building Hotline. The Hotline provides practical and impartial information about green home strategies, resources and incentives for new and existing commercial and residential projects in the region. We’ll answer your questions about ways to reduce your carbon footprint, renewable energy, indoor air quality, salvage, training workshops and more. The Hotline is a bridge to the information, programs and local resources to help you be as green as you would like to be.

Inquiries are welcomed from homeowners, renters, real estate professionals, non-profits, contractors, students, developers, business owners and design professionals in the tri-county area. It is the Hotline’s intent to inspire callers (not overwhelm!) to incorporate as many sustainable choices, either material or behavioral, into their projects as possible. The Hotline can also help callers overcome barriers and obstacles they have around green building.

A great place to start is right where you are, know which resources are available and take it one day at a time. How can you get money back on my stormwater/sewer bill? What actions can you take to save on your home energy use? Where can you tour a green home? When is the next class on rain gardens? What is the WaterSense label? How can I retrofit my house to age-in-place? Can I get a rebate for planting a tree? Call us!

The FREE Regional Green Building Hotline can help! 503.823.5431
http://www.buildgreen411.com/
we tweet! @greenhotline
join us on Facebook: Green Development Resource Center .

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me on the Hotline at 503-823-5431.

Best wishes,
Valerie Garrett

Sabin School News

Dear Sabin Community Members,
I hope that you had a wonderful holiday season, and an opportunity to spend time with friends and family. I want to inform of two important upcoming events:

Sabin Middle School Orientation Night
Want to know more about the strengths of our Middle School program? Curious about our International Baccalaureate Programme? Our middle school teachers and I will give an overview of our outstanding program.

This will be held on Wednesday, January 12 from 6:00-7:00 PM in the Sabin Auditorium. This is open to all community members who are interested in our wonderful program. Please RSVP to Rachel at 503-916-6181.

Grant Cluster Enrollment Process
Portland Public Schools is currently exploring options to develop a stable enrollment plan for the following Grant Cluster schools: Alameda, Sabin, and Beaumont Schools and ACCESS program.

PPS will hold a community forum to provide input on options for balancing enrollment across these 4 schools on January 13 from 6:00-8:00 PM at Beaumont Middle School.

Please contact me at 503-916-6181, or by email at adauch@pps.k12.or.us if you have any questions.

Yours in education,
Andrew Dauch, Principal

More Sabin School News

Sabin SUN School Classes
New and exciting adult and family SUN School Classes for 2011! (See Community Calendar for schedule.)

FAMILY OPEN GYM – Mondays, 5:30-6:30
ADULT YOGA – Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30
ADULT ZUMBA – Wednesdays, 5:30-6:30
(childcare provided)
FAMILY FUTSAL – Fridays, 4-5:30

Kindergarten Round-Up
If you have prospective Sabin School student, please join us for one of our two informative presentations and tours to get a first-hand look inside the school and classrooms. Presentations are Tuesday, February 1st at 9am and 6pm. Additionally, school tours will be available for prospective families at 9am each Friday morning, 2/4 – 3/4.