There are so many fun things happening at Sunnyside this month. We hope to see you all enjoying some of the events that are open to the community.
Bike Bus
The Sunnyside Bike Bus is back in business. On Friday mornings, when you are on your way to work or out walking your pet, you might hear some catchy music coming your way, along with a band of bike riders of all ages. Students and families meet up at designated spots around the neighborhood and bike to and from school together. Riding together makes biking to school safer and more fun. The Bike Bus promotes healthy and eco-friendly transportation to school and helps the environment at the same time.
At this time, there are close to 24 schools in the Portland area that have Bike Buses, each led by experienced parent volunteers. Our parent leaders usually use music and flags, making the Bike Bus easy to see and hear. Give them a wave if you see them zooming carefully by.
Library Fundraiser
Do you love books as much as we do? The SES librarian has found a great way to restock the SES library shelves through Titlewish. This is a fundraiser that is arranged directly through Follett Content, the organization that supplies books and other learning materials to the Sunnyside library. The fundraising goal is $2,500, an amount that would add many wonderful new books to the library collection. New books are something that we are always in dire need of. If anyone is interested in donating you can go to the following link and send in a donation. titlewish.com/1096440
Harvest Fair
Many of the activities at our fall Harvest Fair are run by SES students. They take turns volunteering their time to make the fair a smash. There will be a Baked Goodie Boogie where you can win a cake, art room activities, a Seed Exchange, pies, food, 5th grade granola sales, an apple cider press, and much more.
The fair is open to everyone and entrance is free, but you need to buy tickets to pay for food, drinks and activities. This year there will even be a Teacher Splash! There is nothing more fun than watching students try and dunk teachers (or the principal!)—all in good fun and for a good cause, of course.
Where: Sunnyside Environmental School – 3421 SE Salmon St. (Enter at the back of the school.)
When: October 25th from 3-6 p.m. (There is a sensory soft start at 2:30 p.m. for guests who need a calmer environment to enjoy the fair.)
How: Tickets for food will be on sale after school October 23-24 near the portables and you can also buy them when you arrive at the fair.
Fundraising
Why all of these different fundraisers for the school, you may ask? Well, the sad truth is that public schools are never sufficiently funded by the state or by the district. It is up to the community to help give our students the education they deserve. SES provides a curriculum that goes above and beyond what a student might learn in an average public school. SES has been commended for their focus on the Social Emotional curriculum that contributes to the wellbeing of their students, their environmental curriculum and the place-based learning that goes along with it. All of this, of course, costs money. We are thankful for our community that helps make it all happen. And while there are lots of asks, Sunnyside is always giving back. The middle school students volunteer in the community throughout the year. Among many other things, they make lunches for unhoused neighbors, pull invasive plants in the parks, do gardening at a local Buddhist temple and participate in beach cleanups with Surfrider.
Run, Walk, Move Day
Don’t forget Run, Walk, Move Day is on Oct. 8th. To sponsor the event or donate prizes, contact Stephanie Renfro at [email protected]
Have questions about SES? Email [email protected] and maybe I’ll answer them in a future column!
