As MLC's Parents Talk Racial Equity group finalizes meeting dates for the school year, MLC parent Erica suggests some reading to get you thinking: "How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi and the website EmbraceRace ​https://www.embracerace.org/talking-race--kids.html 

I just ordered Kendi's book and am looking forward to discussing it with other parents. 

If you are interested in helping with MLC's PTRE programming, please email Alisa: mlcptsapresident@gmail.com

If you're new to MLC, you might be a bit overwhelmed by the parking lot madness at drop-off and pick-up. It might be of little comfort to you that there's never been an physical injury reported in our lot. There have been plenty of bumps and scratches to cars, however. To make the lot a bit less frenzied, check out our flyer on MLC parking etiquette and tips:

Everyone, please welcome our new principal, Mark Van Hoomissen! Here's what he wrote to the community last week. "A big ’thank you’ to all of the students, families, faculty and staff for warm welcome as I’m transitioning into the MLC Principal position. Thursday afternoon and Friday morning I had the opportunity to visit several classrooms and introduce myself to many students, families, faculty and staff. Students asked me about my favorite color, food, and sports. Green, pizza, soccer. One of the older students asked if I had any pets. Bandit, a dog. The student asked if I could bring the dog into school. Not sure if I can bring pets into school, but I’ll be sure to bring a photo. I had the opportunity to learn about the importance of the right kind of voting system in a sixth grade classroom. I got some overall advice from stu-dents in terms of making sure I knew that everybody goes by first names. That sounds good to me. I also heard about some of important questions that come up for kindergartners when they are losing more than one tooth at a time. Will share more later..."

Dear MLC Families,
I hope this letter finds you enjoying warm summer days and savoring each delicious moment of this time with your children. My family just returned from a special trip to Norway to visit dear friends and spend time together as a family before my oldest goes to college. This time as a family was especially important as this spring one of my children experienced a significant mental health crisis. Although my family is doing well now, this event caused me to reflect on my ability to balance being a principal and a mom. I spent most of June and July reflecting on what it means to be a building administrator.

I have always led my life by looking for signs and listening to my heart, and during this time of reflection, I was contacted by the Oregon Department of Education about a Director position in the area of Teaching and Learning. At first I did not imagine myself leaving a school district for a state agency; however, with all that is happening in the national landscape right now, I realized that I have an opportunity to influence education on a whole different level. The job was offered to me while we were in Norway and we had a long family discussion about this transition and opportunity, and ultimately I accepted the position. Honestly, this is a frightening leap for me because I have always felt most myself in a school building; however, I also know that Oregon needs leaders who will prioritize equity, social emotional learning, and relevant, authentic learning experiences. I have learned so much from MLC’s model and what happens when we tend to both the hearts and minds of young people, and engage them in meaningful work. This model is what all children deserve and I will bring this perspective to my new role. 

I realize my departure may take many of you by surprise. I planned to be at MLC for many years as I truly adore the staff, students, and families at MLC. It is such a unique and special program. MLC is a strong community with an outstanding staff that will continue to put students first. I will genuinely miss working with the children and families at MLC. It has been a true honor to serve as your principal. Your dedication to an alternative educational experience for your children and your engagement in our community made the decision to leave incredibly challenging, yet it is the best decision for my family at this time.

I feel very fortunate that Margarita Wilson will continue to serve as the AP for MLC. Margarita will enter her fourth year at MLC and she has a deep understanding of the uniqueness of MLC as well as the goals for 2019-2020. I feel confident that the school will be in good hands and that the opening of school will be successful.

The process for selecting a new principal will begin immediately. The first step will be a community meeting. Staff, parents, and the community are invited to meet with Korinna Wolfe, the senior director of MLC, who want to hear about the characteristics and challenges that make MLC unique. She will also be prepared to explain the full hiring process in more detail and to gather input on the desired characteristics of the new principal.
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The MLC community meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday, August 6th from 5:00 - 6:00 pm in the MLC auditorium. The information from the input session is used throughout the process and will be shared with the selected candidate to provide them a sense of the community’s priorities and values. If you are unable to attend, you will still be able to provide feedback through a survey that we will be sending out through School Messenger following the meeting. 
Thank you for all of your support and for the honor of serving as your principal. I look forward to hearing about all the amazing and innovative things happening at MLC. I am still a PPS parent, so I hope to see you in the community.
With gratitude and respect,
Alexa

In order to grow attendance at our monthly meetings, we're gathering MLC PTSA member opinions regarding our meeting dates, times, and venues for the 2019-20 school year.

Here's our central question: Will more members attend PTSA meetings if they are not held in the evenings at MLC?
We're considering many options including:

-- Holding most PTSA meetings next year at a centrally-located community center in NE with childcare and a potluck.
-- Holding a few meetings at MLC while also utilizing community spaces in SE, St. Johns, and North Portland.
When we asked community members (PTSA members, parents, and MLC's Facebook group) about specifics, here's some of the feedback we received:

Other feedback included having meetings during school so that students could participate. I was thinking that we could have each class elect a representative and that student comes to a monthly meeting held at MLC so that we are truly hearing student voices. (Putting the "S" in PTSA!)

As we get closer to next school year's meeting schedule, we welcome your voice! Please email me at mlcptsapresident@gmail.com to share your thoughts!

THANKS!

Alisa

MLC Community: Please plan to attend the PTSA meeting on December 14, 2017 at 6pm in the library.  Portland Bureau of Transportation representative Scott Cohen (503-823-5345 or scott.cohen@portlandoregon.gov) will explain proposed changes to NW 20th and Glisan. It's important that the MLC Community attends and voices our collective desire to avoid any delays in the rebuilding of Couch Park. (More details about the project: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/75103)

Hello!  We had a another great week at MLC filled with going on field trips, reading, preparing for the book fair, and learning new skills through electives.  Don't forget that this week is a four-day school week and there is no school tomorrow for Friday 10/13.  On Sunday our 6th-graders will be meeting at MLC and they are heading to a full week of Outdoor School. I'll be here on Sunday to help load busses. I am hoping to go visit our 6th graders on Tuesday at their camps. 
Please fill out the volunteer and interest Survey.  It is so helpful to have this information.  The PTSA is hoping to cater to community interests for their information evenings, so please fill out the survey to let us know what you'd like to learn on those information nights.  The first PTSA information night is on Wednesday October 18th at 6:30pm. More information will be coming soon about the topics, but we plan on having a few sessions such as the history of the MLC neighborhood and school and information about the timeline for the recreation of the MLC symbol.
The Wild West Book Fair is coming to the MLC Library next week from October 16th to October 20th.  Thank you to Prairie Lily for helping to organize and lead this school-wide event!  Check out all the details and how to volunteer at http://www.scholastic.com/bf/mlcpdx. If you have questions, you can email her at telvld@comcast.net.  Can't make it to the book fair? Here is the link for buying a book gift card that your child can use at the book fair:  On-line book purchase link .The Book Fair raises money for the MLC Library to buy books and other supplies. Kiva, Tim and MLC students depend on this twice yearly fundraiser to keep the shelves stocked with current book titles.
We also have the MLC Pizza Night coming up on Thursday Oct. 26th 5:00-7:30pm.   The PTSA is proud to announce that the pizza is being served up hot, ON-SITE by MLC family owned, Via Chicago! http://viachicagopizza.com. Pizza will be served out on our blacktop and the main floor of the building will be open for socializing. All families are welcome.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Alexa

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Hello!  This week we had our first MLC All School Gathering of 2017-2018.  All of our students gathered in the auditorium and our fabulous 12th-grade students introduced our amazing kindergarten students to the MLC community.  In their introductions, each 12th-grade student shared a time when their kindergarten buddy had showed courage.  We have very courageous kindergarteners here at MLC. It was a wonderful way to begin our October!  
We also started our 1x8 elective program on Tuesday.  It has been going really well.  Students have been engaged and excited about these new learning opportunities.  Please note that the chain to the blacktop will be up until 2:50 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays due to students in electives using the blacktop. Thank you to all of the volunteers who have offered us their expertise and generosity with their time.
Tomorrow 10/6 I will be hosting a Principal Coffee/Tea (with treats) in the cafeteria from 8:45-9:15. This is an opportunity to meet informally and talk about what's happening at MLC and ask questions. I hope you can join me.    Also, if you are interested in being on our MLC Symbol Committee, please let me know.  I've already had some parent interest, and we are going to be developing a timeline.    
Next week we have the PSAT on Wednesday October 11th for all sophomores from 8:15-12:15. If you have a 10th-grader, make sure they get plenty of sleep the night before.  We will not have school on Friday October 13th because it is a statewide inservice day for all of Oregon.    
Have a great weekend (it's almost here)!   
Alexa  

Thank you for coming to our Back To School Night last week and the previous week.  It was wonderful to meet families and to come together as a community.  I realize not everyone was able to attend, so I've posted my presentation to our school website for families to check out. We will also be posting information about Talented and Gifted (TAG) on our website in case families were unable to attend the meetings. 
Although we had to cancel our all school picnic last week due to weather, we had a very successful ice cream social on Friday! Our cross-age buddies came together and shared a sweet treat to end our week.  The sun even came out for a bit:)  
This week we have a Shakespeare meeting for parents/guardians of 6th-12th grade students who are participating in the Fall Festival of Shakespeare.  The meeting is at 5:30pm in the MLC auditorium.  Students will walk back to MLC from their rehearsal, and meet their families at 5:30. For more information about Fall Festival of Shakespeare, you can check out their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ events/1876436259340952/? active_tab=discussion
Just a reminder that on Friday we have a K-12 early release where all students will be dismissed at 12:00.  
Have a great week!
Alexa and Margarita
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