Hello neighbors! I am a PPS English Language Development (ELD) elementary school teacher who grew up in Portland and returned in 2013. My family has been at Sunnyside Environmental School since 2021, with one incoming 8th grader this fall. (The other will be a sophomore at Cleveland.) We are forever grateful for the education our children received—and continue to receive—at Sunnyside. I enjoy writing so I recently volunteered to take over this column.
Here’s what is happening in the neighborhood this August:
SES Community Care Day
Grab your gardening gloves, shovels, and a hat. It’s time to join the Sunnyside Environmental School for Community Care Day August 16th from 10:00 a.m.–noon. We’ll be preparing the school grounds, gardens, and playground for the beginning of the 2025/26 school year. Volunteers will be weeding, pruning, sweeping, and picking up litter. This is an exciting day that marks the beginning of the new school year where everyone comes together to ensure that our students return to a welcoming and clean space. It’s also a great way to see old friends after a long summer and for new SES families to get to know some of the current students and parents before the start of the school year. Many SES families have been there for years and are always ready to welcome new families giving them the “down low” on the school and neighborhood. Please bring your own gardening tools, brooms, shovels, etc. Volunteers will be asked to sign a waiver upon arrival and then you can get to work.
While you’re there, check out the new depaving project that SES completed
in partnership with Depave Portland – an organization that helps communities reclaim and rebuild green spaces. On July 12th, the community came together to remove a 400-square-foot section of asphalt from the blacktop. It will be replaced with a green space/outdoor classroom for SES students. Place-based learning is an important part of the SES curriculum and what could be better for that than an outdoor learning space? In addition to helping SES with this re-greening project, Depave Portland is also creating a summer plaza at SE 7th Avenue and Sandy Blvd. They have partnered with local artists to create a “living” stage structure where artists can perform live events, including music and skate events. There will be
a kick-off event at the new plaza on August 9th from 5:00 to 11:00pm. Come check it out!
The Sunnyside Neighborhood Piazza
Once you are done at SES (or before 10 a.m.!), head on over to the Sunnyside Piazza at 33rd and Yamhill. The Sunnyside Neighborhood Association is bringing the neighborhood together to repaint this beautiful gathering place on Saturday Aug 16th. People will be volunteering from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., so come join us!
Back to School
A friendly heads-up that SES students will be back in school on August 26th. This means that the grounds will no longer be open to the public during school hours beginning on that date, but feel free to come by and use our outdoor space after 3:30 p.m. While you are free to continue admiring the garden, we also ask that you leave the tasting and harvesting to the students once they are back in school.
Have questions about SES? Email [email protected] and maybe I’ll answer them in a future column!
