Urban Mamas

Hello,
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This makes me so happy. I really wanted to see more diversity with non English speaking parents and more single parents and non-bio-parents folks on the PTO during our time.

I'm glad to hear that Ockley is still awesome. I was worried that things might get shaky after Mr. Malone left. My high school sophomore still wears her Ockley shirt PROUDLY. I'm still a little bitter that Ockley doesn't have the financial support of a daVinci or an Alameda, but I was so grateful for the teachers that "made a dollar out of 15 cents" educationally.

Thinking of the gentle way that the middle schoolers looked after the littles still makes me teary.

Go Ockley!

I third what Tracy and Nicole say and this is my second year at Ockley. My daughter's teachers have been beyond great and the new leadership has been really supportive. I so appreciate the new K parents riding out the growing pains and reading the comments here makes me happy :)

My daughter is a K student at Ockley and we have been very happy there. We were looking for a program that fostered creativity, encouraged alternative learning approaches, and was community-focused and diverse. We are delighted that we have found everything we were looking for at a school that is close enough to bike to! We are looking forward to growing with the school.

Michelle-My son is at Ockley right now, and we love it. I would really encourage you to visit and get a feel for it, because it truly is a great place to be. I was the one above who talked about the missing art teacher, but as PPS posted and pointed out, the school is really working to keep the art program alive while our numbers are down. It was pretty magical the other day when my pre-schooler and I had dropped my son off and heard some awesome drumming coming from the auditorium. We peeked in and watched a great dance class happening and my little guy was fascinated. It is my hope that as the numbers grow, those aspects of the program will become more stable, and that will only make the school better. Both kindergarten teachers are great and, because the school is still growing, classes are small. People (parents, teachers, staff) there really seem to want it to be a good place, which is huge as far as I'm concerned. For me, it is the closest school to our house so I consider it my neighborhood school and love the fact that we can walk or ride to get there. It really meets a need I had for a good neighborhood experience for school because I couldn't see driving across town, or even to our official neighborhood school which is pretty far away from our house. To be honest, it wasn't on my radar initially because I didn't realize it was a grade school until my neighbor told me about it. I am so glad she did because I feel like it's North Portland's little secret!

My daughter will start kindergarten the next year and Ockley Green is near our home. I was wondering if some parents can give me some insight on the school, teachers, k program, and any other vital information. I looked on their website and I was intrigued with a kindergarten teacher's website, which was full of information. If others want to look the address is: http://www.ockleygreen.pps.k12.or.us/.docs/pg/10651

Also, when does kindergarten round-up begin at schools? I know I am fishing for information early, but I want to make sure I make the right decision for my daughter and family. Thanks

Ockley does not have an art teacher; however, they have an artist in residence that will work with every class. Also, teachers have earned grants in order to keep art and technology in the school. For example, they received three new mobile computer labs and new computers in the 2 computer labs. As Ockley continues to grow and up their enrollment it will lead to more possibilities. Keep in mind that they do have dance and band for students. I continue to hope for the best!

The WW article points to the fact that while Ockley has no art and tech classes that the teachers are expected to integrate this into the curriculum. That is an issue I could spend several pages on and the WW week does a narrow but overall good job of exposing the issues. I am a walk and chew gum at the same time kind of person and the short term solution is that parents find ways to bring more art and tech to Ockley or support the teachers in that endeavor by sharing our individual skills. Some schools who have parents with deep pockets raise enough money to actually pay for additional teachers but these are also the schools with large enrollments so they have more curriculum and are also raising enough money to hire extra staff. So looking at long term goals we have to find ways to raise funds for the school while also addressing the district wide inequities that schools like Ockley face because of low enrollment. I agree Tracy, I am also really happy with the school and what Ockley has innately is a good vibe, great teachers, and heart. I don't expect anyone to be a policy nerd like me but if anyone is interested in learning more about that stuff send them to me :)

That does sound a little harsh. Sorry. I should be clear, I am very happy with the school and feel very committed to it. I just see that we need to either get our art program back up and running, or we need to redefine who we are.

Forgive me for speaking bluntly but...It ought to be mentioned that we don't have an art teacher. We're touting ourselves as an art magnet. One or the other will need to change if we're to speak of our school with integrity. I'm on board with helping this school grow, and I'm hoping Andy's vision of the forum can help with that. You tech folks amaze me!

I set up a forum last night. :) I'm just filling in areas and trying to work out how to handle student vs parent accounts. (i.e. Right now the default account - student - has somewhat limited abilities like they can't receive private messages) Because it would basically be a public forum, if we wanted students there, we're obligated to help protect them from being harassed by outsiders, for example. Teachers/staff would be a separate category, so they can do things like pin announcements, and they would be easy to identify with their pps emails. Parents would be the tough middle ground. If we want to grant them more abilities (like private messaging), we have to figure a way to identify them so we can switch them off the default usertype.

Once that's worked out and maybe adjust the look a little, it's basically ready to roll as soon as you want. :)

http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3550/13233/#comments_add

I ran across this article after my last post. It mentions Ockley not having an art teacher strangely enough.

Tracy,

The history of the yahoo group we started last year was because myself and two other families actually met online through a group call punkparents which was a yahoo group when our kids were babies. When the economy got worse and budget cuts were looming last year I recommended to one of the other parents that volunteered a lot that it would be cool if we could all communicate more and in the brainstorming process I mentioned to one of the Moms who had actually started the punkparents group if she would start us a parent group. We collected emails from willing parents and sent out invites. It was really great and then the teacher joined and it made it so much easier to group communicate with her. In the spirit of inclusion we sent home a letter with the kids and offered a phone tree system for parents without Internet access. No one took us up on it but we thought it was important to at least give it a shot.

I agree that it is important to move forward on ideas and as long as you are mindful and simultaneously finding ways to make sure the access to the information is equalized or at least offered you are good.

Last year one of the upper grade teachers said that Ockley Green is Dr. King's vision and that really stuck with me. I have also since learned about how district policies have decimated Portland schools and has resulted in schools being segregated and losing basic supports due to low enrollment. Ockley is growing but we would have not lost an art teacher if enrollment was not so small. I am a squeaky wheel about inclusion and not trying to change Ockley but celebrate and promote what is already working and build on it. I am heavily involved in school politics and advocacy so I bring a weighted perspective to the discussion of course. My 1st grade pals are used to it so bear with me. I take myself less seriously as I come across online :)

I would love a schoolwide forum and if you have the skills Andy then that is awesome. I don't know how you would link it up to the PPS website but maybe you don't? I can ask some questions about that from parents at other schools who have websites and let you know.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if I can help.

I suppose that makes sense. Let me know if I can help in any way.

I would rather see us coming together on a single forum (with sub-forums for each grade) rather than remain splintered on separate yahoo groups. We need to stay together to build momentum. I'm already putting ideas together on how to organize a forum (what different areas we'd want, etc). Keeping us together, but still having our own little areas to talk about grade-specific stuff.

To that end, I'm probably going to go ahead and jump on creating the board, at least for our class. It will be easy to expand it to schoolwide if we get everyone else on board.

Critical to that, I think, is getting the PTO and especially the 2021 parents onboard to shift at least some of their discussions to a new forum. Having an active "core" of people already in-place will mean a *lot* towards attracting new people (parents, teachers, and students alike) into joining the discussions rather than trying to reinvent the wheel and start with an empty slate.

Sorry about Story! Hopefully he gets better soon!

I think a forum on the website is great. I also really thing a yahoo group just for the K classes is in order, even though I know not everyone will be able to access it. If we let access stop any movement, we won't do anything because no matter what we do someone won't have access. I'm not sure where to start. Stephanie, can you tell me how the group from last year got started? Did you just have a sign up somewhere for people who wanted invites and then have someone just do it?

And, Andy, I'm unfindable these days as Story's been out sick all week!

It's funny, Tracy. I was *just* looking for you this morning to see what you thought of my starting a message board for our class. Looks like it might turn into a bigger project. :)

Stephanie, Tracy -

Don't worry about the Yahoo thing. That's mostly a cry for help. :) I think a forum is a much more effective means of getting everyone together vs. having us crash the 1st graders. ;) The forum would also help people like Tracy get involved even if they can't make the Thursday meetings. Then we wouldn't need a "representative". :)

I would love to have better online access to the PTO activities. I work on Thursday nights so don't see myself getting to a meeting anytime soon but want to remain connected. Andy, a couple of us K parents have talked about getting together outside the meeting and having one person be a "representative" of sorts to and from the PTO. I'll keep you posted if we get something together.

Stephanie - Thanks for getting back to me. I'm going to send you an email with some thoughts. :)

Andy,

I submitted instructions for starting a yahoo group to the PTO and I am hoping they make it into a future newsletter so parents can decide if they want to do that or not. The PTO is hoping to promote a schoolwide online forum but also encourage individual classrooms organizing within as well. The class of 2021 yahoo group mostly discusses 1st grade issues and not schoolwide things so it might not be relevant to you all but let's talk about it at the next meeting. Another consideration is that not everyone is online and does not speak English so we have to make sure we are including those families. It is an active discussion about how to improve communication and we had a hiccup this year with deciding on whether the folks nominated for PTO leadership last year could maintain that this year. We had a PTO general meeting on October 8th and elections dominated that discussion but we came to a consensus that last years nominees could continue this year and we would have elections this year for next year. The next PTO is November 5th at 6pm and it is kid-friendly and a light dinner will be provided. We are working out the kinks but are back on track. Hang in there because the new principal just got started and seems to be dedicated to making sure people's needs are met.

Oh and how about the technology school's website??? That came up quite a bit last year and we even had somewhat of a technology committee but that needs to be picked back up. We are hoping some parents with the interests and skills will be willing to work with Mr. Hurdle on the website that includes an online forum for parent, teacher, student, admin discussion.

Thanks for checking in and you can email me directly as well at stephanie.c.hunter at gmail dot com. I am the marketing department for the PTO and that is why I watch the discussion here religiously :)

Had to laugh with you. You haven't seen 'embarrasingly updated' unless you've taken a peek at Vernon's school website.

I can't believe that the district doesn't require schools to maintain their websites with current information. It really is just plain embarrasing, especially for new parents that are looking for school information online.

Stephanie -

When is the next PTO Meeting? Sometime in November? Some of us new K Parents feel lost as it is very hard to find information. Should we be joining last year's K-parent yahoo group? The school's website needs to be updated, everything is *embarrassingly* outdated!

There is a Popsicle social tonight at 5:30pm for K-2 families to learn more about Ockley and I will be there with others to talk about the PTO. I had posted that there will be a general meeting this Thursday but that has changed. I will post after the calendar is confirmed. Hope to see some parents tonight!

Follow this link for a volunteer day at Ockley scheduled for September 5th to do some interior work http://www.handsonportland.org/r.php/1926064042

The new principal set this up on Hands on Portland so it would be a good opportunity to meet him before the school year begins.

We had a really productive PTO meeting last night to talk about our goals and events for next year at Ockley. We can always use parent/grandparent/foster parent volunteers too. If there are any alumni, existing or incoming Ockley parents reading this our first PTO meeting of the school year will be September 10th at 6pm in the library at Ockley.

We would like some new parents. Email me at stephanie.c.hunter@gmail.com and I can send you the information. It is an informal bring the kids kind of deal.

Thanks for posting this info, Stephanie. Where/when is the PTO meeting next week? Can new parents attend?

Just found out the new principal will be Finnius (Conrad) Hurdle from a letter sent home. Apparently he was asst. principal at Rosa Parks.
Anyone interested in learning about Ockley PTO let me know. We are meeting next Tuesday August 11th to plan for next year.

I meant "physics" not "physical" :)

Ockley Green came in 1st in a national physical and engineering competition!

http://www.pps.k12.or.us/news/785.htm

I have not heard yet who the principal will be. We had an interim principal Greg Jones this last year. I wish we could keep him but he is retired. I am going to a PPS public meeting tomorrow night and might try to do some snooping. I know someone on the principal hiring committee but they are sworn to secrecy about the entire process.

Curious to know if anyone has heard who the new principal will be? Or when it might be announced? We will be starting there in the fall and I'd like to know who's going to be leading the school next year.

Ockley only has full day from 8:40 to 3pm. A friend of mine had a hard time finding a half day option last year too and ended up going full day at Ockley. I see a lot of K parents that come in early around 1 or 2pm to volunteer and then drift out a little early with their kid.

Full day kindergarten? Is there a half day option? It would be great if there was!

A note home from Ockley Green last week said that enrollment for full day Kindergarten will be open until July 31st.

Next Ockley PTO meeting is Wednesday June 3rd at 6pm in the library. We will be voting for next year's PTO leadership, talking about whether we are interested in being a PTA at some point, accepting volunteers and ideas for committee chairs and members, and planning some summer meetings to get ready for next year. Next year parents are welcome to get involved early.

There is a PTO meeting tonight (Thursday the 14th) at 6pm. I am sick and can't make it but just wanted to let any new folks know.

I talked to the kindergarten teacher yesterday and this is still in the discussion phase and there was talk of K-1's perhaps. My daughter's class had a para this year but I don't know if this will be the case next year for kindergarten. I am fairly certain there is a PTO meeting tonight (thursday) at 6pm and I will ask.

I had a conversation with someone at the school today (whoever answered the phone! I didn't get her name!) and she tells me Ockley has opened their enrollment back up for anyone, regardless of not being placed there by the lottery. I'm pretty tickled at the idea of a school WANTING more students! My son will be there next fall for kindergarten and I'm guessing this means they're going ahead with two classes but aren't quite full yet? Is there a risk of losing the second classroom if enough kids don't enroll?

Hi KM - I am so glad that you picked up on the great energy there as well. The carnival starts at 4:30 and I am going to be in charge of the PTO table so come by and perhaps I will be there. In the process of planning the carnival I am pretty sure there will be a meeting every Thursday at 6pm until the 22nd. Email me at stephanie.c.hunter@gmail.com and I will let you know when we have our PTO planning meeting to get ready for next year if you are interested? Here is where we are at right now with planning the PTO and I said a little of this above as well...We are very lucky to have a K parent that also has an 8th grader so she is our historian and what we have learned from her is that Ockley just works and you have to flow with it and not try to change it. Another parent and I have been doing research and talking online (we have a yahoogroup for the kindergarten class) and our vision is that the PTO will not be a governing body per se but will have leadership nonetheless as well as committees and voting will be schoolwide on how money is spent and not just the PTO. We are going to put out a "wish list" request at some point for all the grades. There are a lot of families that contribute in their own way and it is important to us that everyone feels honored whether they are on the PTO or not. I am sure I am being redundant from my post above about Ockley but we are excited to have a strong PTO up and running when the new K parents come in. I am an idealist but this school is already amazing the way it is and it is just Portland weird enough with a diverse mix of kids, parents, and teachers that I see it emerging as a model of what diversity should look like in the district while also avoiding the takeover effect that happens sometimes when other people stumble upon a hidden gem like this. I did not go to Chief Joseph because the principal at the time had a bad rep for her treatment of kids with disabilities and now I am so glad because this is exactly where I want my daughter to be for the next 7 more years. Looking forward to meeting all the new K parents and I am sure we will have summer PTO meetings and will post those here.

We're another family who just signed our child up today for kindergarten here next year and there are still open spaces in the kindergarten rooms. I can't believe I didn't hear about this program during the Kindergarten round ups. I still thought it was a middle school! Luckily another Piedmont mom told us about OG over the weekend and I went to check it out today. I showed up bascially unscheduled, during lunch and the interim principal adjusted his schedule to give me a quick tour. We're going purely on word of mouth since I didn't meet the teachers (it was lunchtime) or see the kids in the classroom, but after touring 7 schools I have to say I really liked the energy in this school - big scary middle schoolers and all (all middle schoolers are big and scary when your oldest child is five)! The principal seemed genuinely excited about the program that is growing there. The school just received funding to add a second kindergarten class and that means 18-22 students per class! Add that to the fact that they actually have 2 recesses PLUS movement classes and that's a big improvement over many of the schools we looked at. The principal said that neighborhood interest in OG is quickly growing and I have the sense that the word is on it's way out. We are very excited to become members of this exciting school in our community! Thanks Stephanie for the school Carnival information (what time on May 22nd?). Also, can someone tell me when the PTO meetings are? Are anymore scheduled for this year? Thanks!

I am an Ockley K parent currently and am glad to read that other parents recognize what a great gem this school is. The K parents are a strong unit and we love the true diversity and uniqueness of this school. We are in the process of starting online forums for communication as a school but the K parents already have a yahoogroup that has added to the classroom a lot. My daughter has a disability and has been fully included in K and the teacher has been incredible about learning more about autism and gets excited when she has breakthroughs with her.
I have been driving the strong PTO discussions with the K parents and will be hosting a PTO table at our Carnival May 22nd and the mission is to embrace how wonderful this school is naturally and not tread on what already works. We are hoping that the PTO will be part of the school but any voting or decision making is made by the entire school including the students.
A friendly warning about OG is that we are fiercely protective of maintaining the diversity and recognizing the contributions of all parents, teachers, and students and if anyone is intending to "rescue" this school you will not last long. Apparently a group of K parents the year before me drove the teacher out and attempted to start whispering toxic cliques there and they did not stay and the integrity of the school would not allow this divisive and judgemental behavior.
I am happy to answer questions from the K perspective and also anyone with a child with an IEP that might be attending.

This makes me happy. We miss OG dearly. I really think that having the littles around mellows out the older kids.

I worry about funding,but it sounds like the Parent's group is getting bigger every year which is awesome. See if they're having the carnival this year. It's really great time to see allthe kids having such a wholesome good time.

I'm sure Drs. Malone and Matier are missed, but it seems like OG is keepin' on!

There is an Ockley Green PTO meeting tonight (Wed, 3/18) at 6pm in the school library. Attending PTO/PTA meetings can be a great way to get to know a school that you are considering for your child.

It's our first choice now too. We were leaning toward another school, but after the tours have decided the Ockley Green arts program would be the best fit, and it's in our neighborhood. Also, we heard that the OG principal was looking into bringing the Rosetta Stone foreign language program into the curriculum to complement the technology component of the school, which would be great!

I too visited Ockley Green this morning and was happy with what I saw and heard. It has now become my first choice school in the lottery. I love Buckman and feel like they have a proven program with above average test scores, but the idea of having to drive across town every day, twice a day is not very appealing. We could walk or bike to OG along with our neighbors!
I am so glad I visited this school, it wasn't on my radar because I heard it was a bad school, except, no-one could give me any real examples of what "bad" things were happening there.
I hope if you are a parent considering this school and you haven't visited that you go see it. The cirriculum is better than what other PPS schools offer; the kindergarteners get lots of movement time right away in the morning, when they most need it. They break for lunch at 11:10 and have afternoon recess again at 2:00. Kindergarten does NOT feel like 1st grade here, even though it is full day.
The momemtum is moving in the right direction at this school, according to the principal, they have more parent involvement than they ever have. I feel like this is a PPS school worth fighting for and would love to be a part of something really positive. They have a fully committed staff and active parent group that want the same thing becuase they choose to go there (it is not a neighborhood school). I agree with you mom22, seems crazy to go across town to Buckman or Creative Sciences when we have the same option right here in our own neighborhood!

Now I understand ProtestMama's gushing on this school. I went in the morning to the presentation and was impressed as well. We got to see the school in action with kiddos there and it was very much the opposite of what folks are afraid it is. Kids were dancing in the auditorium, some of the older kids were working on some kind of skit in the hall upstairs, etc. The principal was nice, seemed committed to the school, and spoke highly of its stability and possible future evolution. I took away from it that they really want to focus on a true K-8, with a heavier load on the younger grades as the last of the traditional middle school kids move on. Sounds like he even thinks it is going to become a neighborhood school again, with the magnet status, which I think will be fantastic for it (from a very selfish point of view).

Here I've been moaning about the fact that I love the idea of Buckman and couldn't sign on for the drive across town everyday. And the same thing is sitting here within walking distance of my house! Add to that the tech/science stuff people crow about at Winterhaven. My impression is that the school is indeed suffering from the reputation it's had over the years and the new program just isn't being marketed broadly enough. My neighbor has her boy in kindergarten this year and she speaks incredibly highly of it. It sounds a little rough around the edges, as you would expect from a middle school that is now bringing in grade schoolers for the first time. Growing pains, in my opinion.

My guess is that in a couple of years this school will look very different, which I think will be good. By that I mean the PTO will have grown, it will have more than one class at each grade level, and it will be made of local families invested in a school that serves all ages and is invested in the neighborhood. Who knows, maybe all the folks turned away from Buckman will be wait-listed to get in here! I feel like right now it's a great little secret that I plan on taking advantage of! What really sold me? Kindergarten with 18-22 kids, two recess, and an art-focused class everyday. Oh, and I can walk to it. Did I mention that!?

I attended the Ockley Green k-garten round-up yesterday and was pleasantly surprised (not having heard much positive about the school thus far). I just emailed some friends about my experience and thought I'd share here as well for those still looking at schools. Anyway, all the teachers and parents who spoke seemed warm, smart, enthusiastic; the principal seemed solid; the curriculum seemed very appealing (it's a magnet school so they have regular music, art, and technology instruction from specialists); there is P.E., dance, an inquiry-based science curriculum, etc, etc. The kindergarten teacher seemed lovely and the parents there raved about her.

After the presentation, I went up to one of the teachers who had presented about the curriculum and asked her a frank question: "I've been to charter schools, etc. all around town...this school seems to have a lot of the options parents are looking for...so WHY aren't there more people here?" She said she thinks it's b/c the magnet program is still quite new and people still think of Ockley green as a "rough" middle school.

Obviously one can only learn so much in one evening, but I thought it was worth sharing even this first impression as few people, at least that I know, seem to have considered Ockley Green thus far.

Dates of Info Tours for Ockley Green:

Kindergarten Round-Up - Feb 10th
9:45 am & 6:30 pm

All grades (K-8)
Tues., Feb 17th at 9:45 am
Tues., Feb 24th at 9:45 am & 6:30 pm
Tues., March 3rd at 9:45 am
Tues., March 10th at 9:45 am

http://www.ockleygreen.pps.k12.or.us/

Thanks for that feedback. I'm going to check it out at their open house next week. I'll keep those things in mind. I do have to ask about the adult video store comment. I live right by it. I'm not so sure that necessarily will play into my decision about going there or not. Has it really been an issue as far as anyone knows? I'd much rather have that stuff out in the open than to deal with the unknown perps around us.

Mom22,
I think part of the problem is that Ockley Green is an arts & technology program, compared to Buckman which just has an arts focus. Our child would love an arts program, but we're really not that thrilled about a focus on technology for elementary school. We had planned to try out the program despite the technology focus, but we have had a really difficult time getting involved at this school, compared with other schools which had more volunteer opportunities available.

When Vicki Phillips first announced that OG would become a magnet school she said it would have an environmental focus. But when the new program opened it was as an Arts, Science, & Tech program. Then last year they removed the Science focus and now it's just Arts & Tech. NONE of these changes were made with parent input. It doesn't exactly give a parent a feeling of confidence in the program or administration.

Finally, the Ockley Green building physically does not have the warm welcoming feel that other school buildings have, and it is right across the street from an adult video store.

Anyone know current happenings here? I've been reading these entries and am feeling pretty angry that Buckman Arts seems to be turning kids away right and left and we can't seem to get another similar program happening over here? Hmmmm.....

We live near Ockley Green (in Piedmont) and our child will be starting Kindergarten there in September. If any other incoming Kindergarten families would like to connect or get together for playdates before school starts, please email me at:
nicolebreedlove at yahoo dot com
Thanks!

Thanks for the information. It's depressing that the Portland schools are so plagued by issues of funding and inequality but I'm impressed that people are really involved and fighting for their schools.

As far as the 1st grade teacher is concerned, I'm really biased. She taught my son last year and I think she's fabulous. If you were to go observe her class for a while, you'd see she's got an extra large crowd this year. Some groups of kids are easier than others, and this group is on the other end of that spectrum. It's just the sheer numbers of vivid personalities. She certainly doesn't teach for the money or the prestige it garners, she teaches because she loves the kids.

And, yes, the district has cut several positions. Once the federal seed money for the magnet programs dried up, they started canceling programs right and left, rather than properly fund the programs as they had earlier committed to. There are email campaigns in place, but I don't know how much good they will do. I worry that Ockley Green isn't going to make it to true magnet status.

Rebecca:

Ockley Green is having some trouble with district funding and some programs and staff may have to be cut.

Parents have been emailing the district letters of support but I honestly don't know if PPS is going to honor its earlier committment to funding a fully functioning arts magnet.

email me if you want contact info for the mama heading up the fight. Her ear is closer to the ground on this. Or you could call our principal.

I'm in the middle of the high school selection process, so I'm not in thick of it.

Hi there, we're moving from London, England to Portland, my hometown where I haven't lived for about 20 years. Trying to check out schools for my 7 and 4 year old. I see that Ockley Green is now an arts magnet - is it really up and running, or just a theory? Does that mean that the arts are coming back to Jefferson (I went to the magnet program in the 80s)? My boy isn't a big fan of school (even his lovely,very creative, well-funded inner-city school) but he does love music, drama, etc.Thanks, Rebecca

thought i'd take a second to respond - i did not put ockley green on our transfer app. the thought of dreading an unknown 1st grade teacher who didn't impress me and possibly 2nd - 5th grade teachers of the same just was too much. scary and sad really.
i feel strongly that if teachers are not interested in educating then perhaps they should take different jobs so that others will be able to better replace them. no harm done. factory jobs for factory workers, teaching for teachers. not a problem. comments are welcome. thank you for your time.

concordia_mama: FWIW, my 8th grader has expressed some concern about the same teacher. w/o my prompting. . . .

concordia mama: do you have any specific questions I can ask folks? personalities and vibes are so individual. My daughter has had teachers that other moms have warned against that we adored, and vice versa.

Also, when she was at "another" PPS school, I painstakingly picked out her 3rd grade teacher, interviewing parents, hallway surveillance, etc. The teacher ended up leaving Portland for a better offer in another state. And we had a horrific year with her replacement. A nice lady who I liked as alot, but not a good teacher. The principal refused to let us switch.

At this point, there isn't the option to switch clasrooms if things aren't working out, AFAIK. I will say that Drs. Malone and Matier are very open to parents. Even me.

I get teary everytime I think of what awaits us after 8th grade.

8th grade parents tend to wax nostalgic.

Hi ProtestMama,
Since you offered...would you be willing to ask around about the 1st-5th grade teachers? I met the K teacher and loved her and the things that were going on in her class but didn't get a good "vibe" from the 1st grade teacher and then didn't meet the 2nd - 5th. The art teacher seemed pretty amazing though and both the asst principal and principal are very friendly. I might call to schedule some observations but thought if you could find any first hand experience to share, that would be great.
Thanks!

We love this school! I am happy to answer questions, though I know next to nothing about the K-5 side.

If I don't know the answer, I'll find someone who does.

I really like the diversity in so many different languages, cultures, ages of kids. The littles always have middle schoolers fawning over them as they pass in the hall. But they're kept pretty separate otherwise. All school showcases are amazing and play to a standing room only crowd.

so ask away!