April DEI Meeting via Zoom
Join us on April 19th at 6:30 for our first monthly Diversity, Equity and Inclusion meeting using the Zoom link below. All are welcome. You do not need to be a PTA member to attend.
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Meeting ID: 893 2626 4395
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Meeting ID: 893 2626 4395
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Diversity Equity and Inclusion
The Lewis Elementary PTA is committed to the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. The PTA recognizes diversity in gender, race, sexual orientation, ability, class and any human identity as assets that build and sustain a positive educational environment. We recognize that different people will have different needs at different times and we believe in supporting all of our students and families in pursuing their needs. We acknowledge the existence of discrimination and of white supremacy culture and work to co-create a community that is safe, supportive, inclusive and celebrates all of our differences equally. We recognize that a history of genocide can not be properly acknowledged with a statement. We wish to acknowledge however that - to our understanding - our school stands on the tribal lands of the Cowlitz, The Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde and the Clackamas people.
This statement will henceforth be read at the beginning of every PTA meeting.
A PTA Board member will oversee the launch of the Lewis Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team effective immediately. The team will meet monthly, the third Monday of the month at 6:30 pm, henceforth. The PTA will create a new permanent board position of DEI Chair. This person will host and attend the monthly DEI Team meetings - open to the whole community - and be responsible for coordinating actions with the PTA and the School Administration that are recommended by the DEI team.
The transitional DEI Chair on the PTA for the rest of this school year, will be Bridget Geraghty. The meetings for the remainder of this school year will be April 19th, May 17th and June 7th (the first Monday in June considering that school ends of June 11th.) Geraghty has volunteered, outside of the PTA which does not meet in the summer, to host the DEI Team meetings virtually in July and August to maintain momentum and continuity. At that first meeting, the PTA will bring a list of proposed DEI actions, to be discussed with the community. All feedback and ideas are very much appreciated, so please email lewiselementaryptaor@gmail.com . Anonymous feedback is considered just as much as feedback from those who wish to share their names.
The next PTA meeting will be virtual (online) and is on April 12th at 6pm. At this meeting, discussion about the following actions will be the priority agenda item. Please go to lewispta.org for the link to attend the virtual meeting. All community members are encouraged to attend, whether or not they have children who attend Lewis. It is our understanding that many community members have felt left out of the Lewis community and made to feel unwelcome. It is our intention, and the stated intention of the Lewis administration, that the Lewis community feel like a safe community for any community members feeling disenfranchised. One does not need to be a PTA member (paid membership dues) to attend meetings. However one does have to be a PTA member (paid membership dues) to vote at the meetings. Membership dues are $15.00 yearly. Sign up can be done here. If there is financial hardship please reach out to us directly.
The Lewis PTA will be voting at the next PTA meeting to 1) Officially adopt the equity statement, 2) Change the bylaws to indicate that when a member of an underserved group brings a concern to a meeting that it is moved to the top of the agenda, 3) To vote on the adoption of a permanent position of DEI Chair on the Lewis PTA, 4) Nominate anyone who wants to be a new Board Member for next year. All positions are open, especially the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Chair and the Fundraiser Chair as we will experience a loss of a board member due to graduation and experience an increase in one board position.
Also at this meeting, PLEASE NOTE, all PTA positions are available. Anyone who would like to serve on the PTA next year - especially those who are members of an underserved community - are very strongly encouraged to share their interest and join. If for whatever reason they are unable to attend that meeting or any meetings, please email lewiselementaryptaor@gmail.com as we wish to work around any barriers to attendance or involvement that might occur as a result of time of day, amount or type of ability or access.
Board Nominations Open
Want to be more involved with the Lewis Community? Join the PTA Board! The PTA is accepting nominations for new board members. All positions are open for nominations, particularly vacant positions which include the new Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Chair, President, Fundraising Chair. You can nominate yourself or someone else at the next PTA meeting on Monday 4/12, by talking with a PTA Board member or by emailing lewiselementaryptaor@gmail.com. We will take nominations through the beginning of the May PTA meeting before the vote.
Board Positions:
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Auditor
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Chair
Fundraising Chair
Communications Chair
Kindergarten Enrollment
We're so excited it's time to register for Kindergarten! There are two ways you can register your student. You can follow this link to the Kindergarten Enroll page or you can come by the office to pick up a paper copy.
If you have already enrolled your student, please pass this info along to friends and neighbors that might need the information to enroll their student. We are in the office M-F 8- 4pm if you have any questions or need to pick up/drop off papers. Please gather the following pieces of information before completing the registration process for your child:
Proof of age document (birth certificate, passport or similar document)
2 address verification documents. Examples include mortgage, rental agreement, utility bills (dated within the last 30 days at the time of enrollment), insurance or governmental assistance statement.
⁃ Parent name, home address and date must be visible
⁃ If you cannot provide two proofs of address, contact the Enrollment and Transfer Center
Immunization record
⁃ Information on the Vaccine Requirements by grade level can be found on the
Multnomah Education Service District Immunization website
Vision and Dental Screening Information (7 years old and under only)
We are having a virtual Connect to Kindergarten event on April 20th at 6:30 pm. Details are attached below and you can follow this link to the event. We look forward to seeing you and helping you connect to Kindergarten!
Lewis Care Team
Help feed Lewis families. This April we are collecting donations of dried or canned bean, rice and pasta. You can drop off your donations at the front entrance of the school between 8-4 Monday through Friday.
If you are interested volunteering to shop, pack bags or deliver bags on Friday mornings, please email lewiselementaryptaor@gmail.com
Bottle Drop Earth Day Match
BottleDrop is celebrating Earth Day and Earth Week by directing up to $25,000 in Containers for Change donations to Blue Bag Fundraisers through matching donations and prizes. Fundraisers can participate in two ways:
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Generate funds to your BottleDrop Give account from Earth Day until the end of April to receive a 20% match from BottleDrop
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Participate in our Earth Day social media contest for a chance to win a prize
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Remember to drop your blue bags at the front entrance on Thursdays between 8:00-8:30am. You can grab new bags from the little free library near the office entrance. Snap a photo, video or even a boomerang with your donations and we’ll submit it for the Earth Day social media contest! Send your pics to lewiselementaryptaor@gmail.com or tag Lewis Elementary PTA on Facebook.
