December 5, 2022

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to December! How quickly the school year is flying by. Before we know it, 2023 will be here!

Report Cards

Thank you for attending your child’s parent teacher conference last month. It was wonderful to see families back at Talbot school interacting with staff. It was also encouraging to see students proudly sharing their work and talking about their learning with family members. Many parents told me how impressed they are with all that their children have learned since September. If you were not able to attend your child’s conference, it is not too late! Please call the office at 874-8210 and schedule a conference time with your child’s teacher. Conferences can be held over the phone if needed. Also, now that the first trimester has officially ended, report cards will be sent home in backpacks on Friday, December 9th.

Safety Drills

All Portland Public Schools are required to practice a variety of safety drills yearly, including five fire evacuation drills and two lockdown drills. At Talbot, we refer to the lockdown practice as a Safety Drill. A Safety Drill is when we practice the procedures in the event it ever becomes necessary to secure the building while students and staff are inside. There are many reasons our school might need to call a safety drill, as opposed to an evacuation drill, including potential neighborhood issues involving community policing, construction, gas leaks, etc.

With elementary age children, we are thoughtful in our approach to these drills so as to not cause undue anxiety for children. We explain to young students that we have to practice what to do if ever there were a danger such as a “skunk in the hallway”. At the time of the drill, an announcement is made to “Secure the Campus” which signals to teachers to shut and lock their classroom doors from the inside, turn off the lights and pull down the blinds on their windows. Teachers will teach students to go to the safety spot in their classroom where they will be wait quietly. These safety spots will be away from the windows and doors/openings of the classroom. Teachers will guide students calmly through the drill, sitting silently in the safety spot for 2-5 minutes, practicing listening for directions. At the end of the drill, an announcement will be made that the safety drill is over and students and teachers return to what they were doing before the drill. Typically, a Safety Drill lasts for approximately 5 minutes. Talbot’s Safety Drill practice is unannounced, but will be happening soon. I will communicate with families after the drill in case you would like to discuss with your child how it went.

Homework Diner

This year at Talbot school we are implementing a new parent engagement event called Homework Diner. The Homework Diner is for students in grades 1-5 and is when students and their parents or guardians can come to school to work with staff on homework, then join together to share a meal. Our second Homework Diner is scheduled for December 7th and the meal will be provided from Wayside Kitchen. There will be information shared at this event from our librarian, Ms. Meg Rooks, about how to support your child with coding activities at home. Transportation will be available at a few identified bus stops, and all students must attend with an adult. We hope to provide interpretation for those who would like support with language.

PTO Meeting

The Talbot PTO will hold their monthly meeting on Thursday, December 8th from 5:30-6:30 in the library. Let me take this opportunity to thank our fabulous PTO members for the wonderful staff lunch that was provided to staff over conferences in November. Thank you for all the delicious food, beverages and snacks. It was a great way to keep teachers powered up through the long conference days. Our staff talked for several days afterward about how much they enjoyed this extra special treat. We appreciate all the hard work our PTO does. Thank you to everyone for your help!

Finally, the cold weather has arrived, and we know there will be many more cold days ahead. We urge you to do your best to send your child(ren) appropriately dressed for school during the winter months. We have recess outside every day throughout the winter, unless the temperature drops below 13 degrees with wind chill. Dressing in layers is always a good idea. Students also need jackets, hats, snow pants, boots and gloves/mittens in order to be safely protected from the cold when they are outside. If you need help getting these items for your child, please contact the office at 874-8210

We have several items (including winter coats) that are piling up in the lost and found area near the lobby.If your child is missing any items please make sure that you check the lost and found area.

Special Reminder - December Break is coming! There is no school from Dec 23 - Jan 2nd. Classes resume Tuesday, January 3rd.

Upcoming Dates

December 7, Early Release, 1:10

December 7, Homework Diner, 4:30-6:00 Cafeteria

December 8, PTO, 5:30-6:30, Media Center

December 14, Early Release, 1:10

December 21, Early Release, 1:10

December 23-January 3 NO SCHOOL- Winter Break

 

Cordially,

Ann Hanna

Principal