As I write, February is upon us and everyone is wondering—is winter here yet?! This year it has been difficult to tell. Each day we get a couple more minutes of light reminding us that soon enough there will also be warmer days to come. Yet, there is always the chance of one of those yearly Portland snow chaos winter wonderlands that thankfully only lasts a few days.
Thank you to those who joined us for the fantastic Riparian Festival. Every year I am astounded by the thought and creativity that goes into each project. The classrooms and hallways are transformed by the students’ ideas and knowledge. We have some fun events coming up at SES this month. We look forward to seeing you there!
February 4–Winter Walk and Roll to School Day
PBOT Safe Routes to School is hosting the Winter Walk and Roll to School Day on February 4th. Check the weather before you go and make sure you’ve got the right gear. As the old Swedish saying goes, “There is no bad weather, only bad clothes.” It is a day to celebrate the environment which is so important to us at SES and to remind our students of one of the many ways we can take care of our planet—like skipping the car for a day.
February 17– Last day of Read-A-Thon
Every year the entire school participates in the Read-A-Thon. This event lasts for three weeks. Students have the opportunity to read, read, read in order to earn money for the school. There are many different reading competitions within the school that make the event a blast, and with the hard work of the PTSA the student prizes are phenomenal. Why does it matter? It encourages the love of books and all students get to immerse themselves in reading. For every line they read, they earn funds for the school. To build a buzz, the school invites local authors to speak to the students about their books. This year eight authors will visit our halls and spread the love of books. You can buy a signed copy of books from the visiting authors online. Check this link at give.mybooster.com/sunnyside-environmental-school-2 for more information. If you know a Sunnyside student be sure to ask them if they need more pledges. You can sponsor them with a flat donation or pay by the amount of minutes they have read. They can read anything including articles, graphic novels, magazines, newspapers; they can even listen to audio books.
February 17– K-5 open house 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Are you interested in sending your child to our beloved Sunnyside Environmental School? Join Principal Eryn Berg and others on February 17th to learn about the SES experience. As a Sunnyside parent I can tell you that the school lives up to the hype. If you are looking for an experience for your child that is outside of the humdrum of the usual public school experience, if you are looking for a school that puts community building at the forefront of everything it does, if you and your child are interested in the environment and learning more about it, this is the right place for you. Come to the open house to learn more. We hope to see you there!
Have questions about SES? Email [email protected] and maybe I’ll answer them in a future column!