Looking to link with other Vernon Elementary parents
It's that time of year for us parents of 4 and maybe 5 year olds... Time to check the listings for Kindergarten Round-up dates if we're enrolling our children in the neighborhood school. This can be a nerve-wracking time for many parents, but I know that our neighborhood school has a strong community and parental involvement level, which is why I'm so excited to register my child there. Erica, however, is trying to look into ways of connecting with other parents at her neighborhood school to strengthen the parental and community and involvement. She writes:
My daughter will be starting Kindergarten in the Fall 08'. We are thinking about having her attend her neighborhood school, Vernon Elementary. We are just amazed that only 42% of the Vernon neighborhood kids attend their neighborhood school. My husband and I would like to set up a meeting with other Vernon families. We would like to work with other families in the neighborhood to encourage more parent involvement at Vernon Elementary. That seems to be the biggest problem with this school.
So, if there are any other parents thinking of sending their kids to Vernon, maybe drop her a line. I bet she's not the only one out there looking to work on this project...
We aren't zoned for Vernon but attended their kindergarten round-up last year. I was impressed by the kindergarten teachers, the commitment of the principal, and the fact that they have a robust and involved PTA.
I encourage you to contact them to find out when their round-up is this year. It is a good way to connect with other potential parents as well as get a first hand view of this neighborhood school's potential.
Posted by: Tony at Milagros | January 02, 2008 at 11:02 AM
We live in Vernon attendance area and I have started looking into the school as well. We have twin boys who will be 4 next Fall, so I am very interested in learning more about the pre-k program offered at Vernon.
I have on my calendar that the kindergarten round up is on Thursday, February 7th in the evening. I am also planning to visit the classroom to get a real feel for it. It is crazy how many kids in the neighborhood don't go to the school, since the transfer policy makes it so easy to go elsewhere.
Posted by: kathy | January 02, 2008 at 12:58 PM
Why are the neighborhood students going to other schools? All the reading I have been doing on Vernon is great. They are now in the 2nd year of becoming a IB school, plus they have really made some incredible advances with their success for all program. I have not had a chance to tour the school. I am waiting for the Feb 7th round up. Maybe I should check it out before feb 7th.
In addition to our 5 year old (the one who will be in Kindergarten 08', we have a 4 year old who we would like to explore enrolling in the Pre-K program. If anyone has any experiences with their Kindergarten or Pre-K program, I would be happy to hear from you.
Also, I have put in a request to have a meeting at Kennedy School for families exploring Vernon as their neighborhood school. More to follow, once I have a date.
Posted by: erica | January 02, 2008 at 05:28 PM
We live in the Boise-Eliot neighborhood and had our daughter enrolled there until she got into the Spanish Immersion program at Beach. It was hard to not send her to our neighborhood school but the Spanish was very important to us. She was born in Guatemala and we made a commitment to ourselves, her and people there to raise her to be able to communicate in Spanish.
Beach, much like Vernon, has a lot of great things to offer. They are up and coming schools that are really close to hitting the target now. Even though Beach has this great immersion program, around 50% of the neighborhood kids do not attend the school. My personal feeling is that old reputations die hard. Many still see it as a rough school, not as the really great community that it has become. Vernon suffers from some of the same fate.
I think that PPS will most likely be changing the transfer rules in the near future. It is really draining schools that are trying to climb the achievement ladder - Vicki Phillips made up the lucky number of 400. With 400 students enrolled you got all kinds of extras. It was really hard for some schools to reach 400 without the extras and the baggage of a bad past. Carole Smith is really looking at eliminating that policy and figuring out something better.
I come from a family that volunteers in schools. In the end, your kids' school is in part what you make it to be. Good luck.
Posted by: Sarah C | January 02, 2008 at 09:29 PM
I agree with Sarah that one of the many factors keeping folks away from neighborhood schools is out-dated perceptions about their quality.
P.S. Kudos to you, Sarah, for keeping your daughter connected to her cultural roots!
Posted by: Tony at Milagros | January 03, 2008 at 06:31 AM
I had enrolled my son for Kindergarten at Vernon, but we ended up moving in early Sept (only 5 blocks) but into a different neighborhood school.
Part of the reason we moved to Portland was to take advantage of the different school choices. We love his neighborhood school though, and have no plans to pursue anything different at this point. Possibly around high school age, if he has definite interests, we may look into schools with a specific focus, but for now--every morning he wakes up excited to go to school. He was disappointed to find out about winter vacation. He spends his free time writing comic books. I do not have enough good things to say about our neighborhood school (and especially Mrs. Peters). I realize I'm talking about a different neighborhood school, but if our experience is any indication--definitely go for Vernon. (And if you don't like it, our school, Faubion, is not far away!)
Posted by: KMat | January 03, 2008 at 11:24 AM
I agree with Tony and Sarah about the outdated misperceptions, but the transfer trend seems to produce a vicious cycle.
It saddens me that the parents who have the time to schlepp their kids across town to a charter/magnet/transfer/private school are the ones who would likely have the time to volunteer and put into their neighborhood school to improve it, but instead spend their efforts and contributions elsewhere. I am a work-at-home mom, and I feel that we are blessed to be in a situation where I have the means and schedule to be able to volunteer regularly in our school. I feel a duty to make up for the parents who do have to work full-time - the ones who do send their kids to their neighborhood school because they can walk there or take the bus, but dont have the time to volunteer or be as involved. It's kind of the "takes a village" philosophy.
Posted by: Sharai | January 03, 2008 at 04:59 PM
For the immersion programs parents must attend a mandatory meeting before their child can enter the lottery for the program. A fellow parent at Beach recently suggested that maybe everyone should have to attend a mandatory meeting at their neighborhood school before they can transfer out. Many people do not have any contact with the school before the reject it for often superficial reasons.
Like I said, we transfered for essentially cultural reasons. Beforehand, we did meet with people from the neighborhood school to see if we could make it work. Sadly, there was at that time no Spanish offered at all. It was still hard for us to not go to the neighborhood school.
Posted by: Sarah C | January 03, 2008 at 06:09 PM
I think that's a great idea!
Posted by: Sharai | January 03, 2008 at 06:21 PM
Hello all!
In September, I had a lovely meeting with Vernon's principal, Leslie Butterfield. I am also interested in starting some sort of Future Families of Vernon group, and I wanted to see how she felt about that -- at least to build more community in the neighborhood and at most to get to know the school.
We would love for our daughter to go to her/our neighborhood school - Vernon - in Fall 2009, and we would love to meet other families who are excited about that, too.
Unfortunately, our fall was pretty hectic, and I still have a folder of emails collected from coffee shop and playground chats in hopes of starting a sort of listserv.
What would you all like to see? Would you like to have stroller walks at the school (like Boise-Eliot), coffee with the principal, or meetings at the Concordia neighborhood room at the Kennedy school or at Milagros (if you still have the space, Tony)? Let me know, and I can make this my New Year's Resolution and get us all together :)
Thanks for starting the conversation here! -- Elizabeth
Posted by: Elizabeth | January 03, 2008 at 09:44 PM
Sharai, as the parent of a child in a charter school, I can attest to the fact that the majority of the parents in our school are working parents.
Many of these families don't "have time to schlepp their kids across town", but they often make sacrifices to do so. Assumptions of privilege aren't always fair or accurate.
Posted by: Second verse same as the first | January 04, 2008 at 03:29 AM
Sorry if I made an unfair assumption - I certainly didn't mean that none of the parents work.
Back to Vernon, last spring the Concordia Neighborhood Association had a special meeting at Kennedy School with current Faubion parents, Faubion's principal, and interested/prospective families. Vernon is also Concordia, correct? Perhaps they would do the same for Vernon, and any other of its neighborhood schools?
Posted by: Sharai | January 04, 2008 at 10:32 AM
Sarah C:
I think having a mandatory meeting before you could transfer out is brilliant.
second verse:
A single parent working an 8-5 or 3-12 with multiple kids may not be able to shlep kids around as easily as a WAH Single Parent or a partnered parent or a single parent of one child (like I was).
Until transportation is offered as part of the school choice program, it will remain a privilege for some folks.
As a single parent who has worked straight day work, and paid for afterschool care on an extremely meager salary, I can acknowledge that I have had some privilege is being able to access a myriad of school options. Why is it so hard for some parents to acknowledge that school choice doesn't have equal access for all? And maybe to advocate for those who aren't being served as well? There is a serious disparity in education along race and class lines in Portland. How are we part of the solution?
Sorry . . . I went all Activistas up in here.
Posted by: ProtestMama | January 04, 2008 at 10:54 AM
Elizabeth - we do still have the space at Milagros and I would be happy to donate its use for the meeting.
Just follow-up with me personally - milagros (at) milagrosboutique (dot) com and we can work out the details.
All the best,
Tony
Posted by: Tony at Milagros | January 04, 2008 at 11:40 AM
Hello Everyone,
I too am very happy and excited that this conversation is happening. There's nothing I'd like more than to walk my kids across Alberta Park every morning to go to school. My email address is Susanrideout@juno.com. Please add it to the list of parents interested in finding out more about Vernon.
Thank you!
Susan
Posted by: Sue | January 04, 2008 at 11:55 AM
ProtestMama,
"Why is it so hard for some parents to acknowledge that school choice doesn't have equal access for all? And maybe to advocate for those who aren't being served as well?"
No one said school choice equals equity for all. And again with assumptions. Having a child in a charter school does NOT inherently imply endorsement of PPS' transfer policy. Charter schools and equitable neighborhood schools do not need to be mutually exclusive.
Posted by: Second verse same as the first | January 04, 2008 at 12:07 PM
I am really excited that this conversation is happening as well.
If we could get lots of neighborhood parents excited about Vernon, maybe we can make IT the school that everyone wants to transfer to! :)
Please include me in any emails about meetings in the future. kathrynmoorepdx@aol.com
Posted by: kathy | January 04, 2008 at 12:24 PM
I volunteered for Vernon's Smart program long before I was ever pregnant because I'm so excited about having our neighborhood school so close. Now we have an 11-month-old, who it seems will be Kindergarten-bound, like, tomorrow. So, I too would LOVE to get together, both to help the school keep the quality it has achieved through volunteering and to get a good feel for where my girl will be headed in a few years. Please add my name to any meeting/listserv list: laurasuo@yahoo.com
Posted by: Laura | January 04, 2008 at 12:51 PM
Concordia Newspaper says that they will post a meeting in their February Newspaper. Kennedy School has a room we can use for $15/hour or we could use the space at Milagros. I bet, if asked, we could even have a meeting at Vernon. It just makes me excited that others are as passionate as I am about creating a wonderful community around our neighborhood school.
Please email me if you want to help me get this started. erica@meyersstudio.com
Posted by: erica | January 04, 2008 at 01:13 PM
Our neighborhood school is Vernon and we are wanting to look into Pre-K programs for next year and Kindergarten the year after. We would love to get to know the school and community better. So here's another email address to add to the list:
kellimaija@yahoo.com
Posted by: Kelli | January 07, 2008 at 01:48 PM
Hey I received an e-mail asking about the Vernon Kindergarten Round-up and it listed a link to this blog. I am one of the PTA presidents at Vernon with a first grader and future Pre-K son. We are thrilled to see all the interest out there to help build out Vernon community. First off, the round up is February 7th from 6:30-8:00 pm in the Multi-Purpose Room. The next day we have Principal's Coffee at 8:45 with tours following. At the round up there will be teachers and PTA parents who will help answer questions and give out information. I would also be happy to meet up with other parents to build a Future Families of Vernon group. I can also help with reserving a room at the school if we come up with a date. We are so excited to see this blog about Vernon. We would LOVE to see that 42% go way up! And have been very happy with our decision to support our neighborhood school. Please email me at sarakahn44@yahoo.com if you are interested. I would love to hear from you all!
Posted by: Sara Richard | January 08, 2008 at 04:20 PM
Our li'l bunny butt will be in kindergarten next fall too. You have no idea how relieved & excited I am to read this thread. And how timely - just today I called Vernon with questions about my interest in visiting, touring, etc. I was told (very nicely) that individual times for tours/observation are not being set up this year. That the round-up and next days tour is the only time I could check it out. Although I was disappointed about that answer, I was impressed with Teresa's enthusiasm about the programs and achievements of Vernon. Now I'm really looking forward to the round up and the parent meeting that gets set up. Happy New Year indeed!
Posted by: concordia_mama | January 08, 2008 at 05:32 PM
I have heard mixed things about Vernon and obviously would love to send my daughter across the street to her neighborhood school so please do add me to your Families @ Vernon group!
Thankee
Posted by: Andrea Frost | January 09, 2008 at 04:46 AM
I'm excited to see so many other Vernon future parents/parents on this forum! Count me in! We have a 3 1/2 y/o daughter who will be a Vernon K in Fall of '09. We are considering Vernon Pre-k for Fall of -08, but love the current program she is in at Peninsula Park Community Center and may continue that next year
Posted by: Leah | January 09, 2008 at 04:37 PM
Hi,
I, too, would like to be included on any future meetings of prospective parents.(wendy@pickathon.com) I have spent a little bit of time at Vernon. There are many things I was impressed with: low staff turnover, nice facility, some good programs happening and the current PTA folks are really wonderful and motivated. But, I have to say, the time I spent in one of the kindergarten classrooms was a bit disheartening with the amount of seat work the kids were doing. (I tend to think 5 year olds should still be doing a lot of learning through art and play not worksheets.) As a former school teacher, I'm not a fan of standardized curriuculum programs, although I see the benefits in some cases. And, knowing some folks who teach in the building, I can tell you that there are a lot of issues with behavior management, especially in the upper grades. Given all that, Vernon is definately an up and coming school. It sounds great to delve in and see if more parent involvement can make a difference. I just think that folks should be careful making any assumptions about another parent's choice about where they send their kid. By
Posted by: wendy | January 10, 2008 at 02:30 PM
About 3 years ago when we were a couple of years away from starting kindergarten, parents organized a "Stroller Tour" at Beach Elementary, to get neighborhood families of children under 5 involved, familiar, and invested in the neighborhood school early. I think it was a great event. Many connections were made between current parents and prospective parents, and teachers/administrators and prospective parents. I think it is great that Future Vernon families are learning more about their neighborhood school.
Speaking of which - I noticed on the urbanMamas calendar that folks have organized a gathering "Future Families of Vernon" coffee, Monday 1/28, 11:15am to 12:15pm at Milagros. Check out the calendar for more details.
Posted by: olivia | January 10, 2008 at 05:15 PM
Has anyone set up a parents group for Vernon? If so can you email me the contact information as I would love to get in on it! babywit@gmail.com. If not, I would certainly volunteer to put together a list of names of parents interested in getting together!!!!
Please let me know as we are very interested in sending our daughter to her neighborhood school.
Thanks!!!!
Posted by: Andrea Frost | January 12, 2008 at 08:41 AM
Please send an email to me at bilyeuking@comcast.net if you would like to get on a list of prospective Vernon School families. I have most of your emails from this blog, thanks, but I am missing a couple.
Here's what we have set up so far. Please pass it along to your friends and neighbors. Thanks! --
Meet prospective families of Vernon School
Monday, Jan. 28, 2008, 11:15 am
Milagros: http://milagrosboutique.com/
5433 NE 30th (Corner of NE 30th and Killingworth)
Coffee!
One of the Vernon PTA Presidents, will join us to help answer questions.
Vernon Kindergarten Round Up
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Vernon School: http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools-c/profiles/?id=284
2044 NE Killingworth
6:30 pm
Meet Principal Leslie Butterfield and teachers. Tour to follow meeting.
Leslie Butterfield says, "ANYone who might be interested for next year or any other year is welcome to attend all our Vernon PTA Meetings, Principal Coffees, Kindergarten Round Up, or anything else. We take all interested people!"
Principal's Coffee and School Tour
Wednesday, February 8, 2008
Vernon School:http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools-c/profiles/?id=284
2044 NE Killingworth
8:45 am
Meet Principal Leslie Butterfield for coffee, and tour Vernon School.
Principal's Coffee and School Tour
Tentative date: Friday, February 22, 2008
Thanks so much for your all of your conversations! We look forward to getting to know you. Let us know if you plan to meet at Milagros on 1/28.
--Elizabeth, bilyeuking@comcast.net
Posted by: Elizabeth | January 18, 2008 at 10:14 PM
We are happy to have found this thread. Our daughter isn’t even three yet, so our biggest question at this juncture is how we can get to know Vernon and therefore be able to make an informed decision about where to send her. We really wondered how that was going to happen, and now we can see some budding answers.
Currently, we lean toward Vernon because we believe a neighborhood school has inherent qualities that no other can offer – those that come with being well connected to the people that make up our immediate community. We’ll be sure to attend meetings that are arranged through the school, folks at this site, or that are advertised in the Concordia newsletter.
Posted by: Laura J | January 27, 2008 at 09:14 PM
Today a group of vernon neighborhood families met at milagros. I left feeling full of energy to make a difference in this school. We have something very special in our neighborhood school, I hope more families check it out! Thanks to Tony at Milagros for the space, and Elizabeth for organizing this day. Also, it was encouraging to see Leslie Butterfield, Vernon's Principal, out talking with future familes. Sara Richard, PTA president, was very helpful, too. We plan to reach out to more families at our next meeting through advertising in the neighborhood newspapers.
Posted by: erica | January 28, 2008 at 06:01 PM
Today, 15 Concordia neighborhood parents gathered at Milagros Boutique to meet each other and to talk with the Vernon School Principal and the PTA President. Thanks for all of your information and support as we work to make decisions on schools for our kids in the next few years. Thanks also to Milagros for providing the space (great toys) and the cookies! And, thanks to the parents for all of the good questions.
It was very important and energizing to meet more of our neighbors and to reconnect with others. We plan to have other meetings soon. Please spread the word!
Here are some upcoming events, including the Portland Public Schools’ “extravaganza” this Saturday.
“Celebrate Portland Public Schools”
Saturday, February 2, 2008
1 p.m.- 5 p.m.
Portland Expo Center
Event information at http://www.pps.k12.or.us/depts/communications/celebrate08/
Are you a neighborhood parent considering Vernon School for your child? Do you have lots of questions?
Find out more about your neighborhood school at
The Vernon Kindergarten Round-Up
Thursday, February 7, 2008, 6:30 pm
Principal’s Coffee and School Tour
Friday, February 8, 2008, 8:45 am
Principal’s Coffee and School Tour
Friday, February 22, 2008, 9:15 am
Vernon School, 2044 NE Killingworth
503-916-6415
http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools-c/profiles/?id=284
ANY parents who might be interested in Vernon School for next year (or any other year) are welcome to attend these events.
** If you would like to be on an email list with other prospective neighborhood families with lots of questions, contact Elizabeth at bilyeuking@comcast.net
Posted by: Elizabeth | January 28, 2008 at 08:39 PM
Hi, I just found this blog and am interested in finding out more what has happened since January. I am the parent of a three, almost four year old girl (we live near Alberta Park)and had heard some negative things about Vernon from people in the neighborhood who had sent their children there and then transferred them elsewhere, so didn't think I would. However, I am happy to hear that there are so many people in the neighborhood who are interested in getting involved in possibly making the school more into something that we all want. So, please add me to any list: klynthomas@yahoo.com. I also would love to meet parents in the neighborhood with small children and potential playmates!
Posted by: Kellie | April 10, 2008 at 05:37 PM
Does anyone know if there will be an after care program for pre k next year? or Who I could contact for info?
thanks!
Posted by: cindy | June 06, 2008 at 07:42 PM
I am so excited to have found this thread (despite it being almost 3 months old)! I am moving to the neighborhood in a few weeks and I am excited to get involved in the community. I have a 5 year old so I am anxious to learn more about Vernon and to meet other parent in the neighborhood.
Please let me know if and when you meet up on this thread.
Thanks.
Posted by: olivia | July 02, 2008 at 12:39 AM
Now that the new school year has started any parents wish to update the thread on how things are going with there children currently attending Vernon? Better then expected, worse?
Posted by: P | September 18, 2008 at 08:38 PM
I have a two-year-old, and I'm very interested in meeting parents of kids who attend, or who will be attending, Vernon. (I'm SO glad to have found this thread, I can't tell you.) Is there still a discussion going on out there? Please include me, if so: mindyfitch@yahoo.com.
Posted by: Mindy Fitch | November 24, 2008 at 10:54 PM
Hello all... It seems that this feed has not gotten much action. I just thought I would inquire about parents who are bringing their child to Kindergarten FALL 09.
I would love to meet with other families/ kids for some play dates; so our kids may have some friends upon entering the big world of Kindergarten.
I would also like your feedback, We are planning on taking our daughter their, but are a little nrevous about the mixed reviews.
What are your thoughts? Let me know If you would like to meet at a park one day!!!
Posted by: erin b | May 07, 2009 at 09:12 PM
My daughter is almost three, and although kindergarten is a couple of years away,we are trying to decide if we should enroll her in Vernon or move to another area. We are planning on visiting Vernon soon, but would like to hear some thoughts about Vernon from parents who have children enrolled there. Is there still a discussion or a group of parents that meet? If so, I'd love to be a part of it. We love this area and want to stay, so we are hoping Vernon will be the right school for us.
Posted by: Cassandra | February 11, 2011 at 08:42 PM
I am interested in this as well. We are planning to try to get our daughter into the pre-k program for this fall, and I would love to be involved if there is a group of parents who meet up to discuss Vernon School.
Posted by: jessi | February 12, 2011 at 08:26 AM
I don't have any info about this particular school, but my advice is to attend their round-up, go to a PTA meeting, or give the school a call. There is a lot going on in all the North Portland schools and the best way of getting a good read on what's happening at each is to talk to the parents!
Posted by: kim | February 12, 2011 at 05:58 PM
Love Vernon and my girls are thriving in Kindergarten. The International Baccalaureate (IB) program is Amazing. The PTA is seriously involved. Great things are happening!!
Posted by: Lauren Andronici | January 23, 2013 at 11:25 PM