Dear North Plains Families,
Happy December! The PBIS theme for this month is Generosity and we are starting it with a bang! The food drive is going GREAT with the bins getting really full! There is still time to donate, as the drive goes until Dec. 12. Please give if you can.
Friday is our PBIS assembly to kick off Generosity. The choir wil
Thank you to those who have been able to contribute to the Healing for Hunter Foundation. When I left last week, the bin was almost empty and now it is overflowwing with toys and presents. See more info below!
The next PTO meeting is at 6PM on Tuesday, Dec. 3. This meeting will be preceeded with a goup discussing how to move forward with the library renovation. If you are interested and available, please plan to come early and meet in the library at 5:15, then stay for the PTO meeting at 6!
This is a BUSY week for the NPES choir! Our last rehearsal for the year is on Tuesday 3rd, then we sing on the 5th at the NP Jingle at Jesse Mays at 6:15 PM The Dicken's Carolers will be there that evening as well, featuring previous principal Karen Murphy! I hope you can join us. On Saturday afternoon we perform at the Hillsboro Holly Days celebration in Hillsboro at 4PM. We will also perform at the Orenco ice rink stage at 3 PM on Saturday the 14th.
Biz town is fast approaching for our 6th grade students and is always a really fun day! The field trip occurs on the 17th, but they are busy preparing and learning all about debit, credit, banking, and other financial topics as well. Thank you to all the parents who have agreed to work at Biz Town that day, I know it's a big committment!
There are 3 full weeks of school left before Winter Break. That is 21 days of important learning going on and activities taking place that CANNOT be replaced! Please make an effort to have your child here on time and every day!
Have a wonderful week!
Becky Rios
North Plains Hawks: Embracing growth, diversity, and change!
Healing for Hunter:
Every December the Children’s Oncology Unit is transformed into a beautiful and magical winter wonderland. Themed differently every year, the heart-felt unit has been sweetly taken over by Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, Superheroes, Frozen, the Trolls, and this years theme Toy Story 4. This event requires several hours of shopping and several hours of ornament organizing and prepping. The day-of decorating involves coordination with 15 volunteers, the hospital staff and the local fire department. Decorating takes an entire day to complete and the stunning wonderland is on display the entire month of December for all to enjoy. This event has also been featured on the news almost every single year and truly makes a huge difference during the holidays. At a time when kids should be beaming with hope and joy and holiday cheer, they are seriously deep, deep, down in the trenches battling a very deadly disease that could possibly take their life. They need to know they are not forgotten about, and that there is an entire community out here supporting them and encouraging them and cheering them on. They sadly can’t be home for the holidays, so we’ll most lovingly, bring the bright, beaming holidays to them!
And THEN...!
Every Christmas Eve, customized Santa Sacks are surprise delivered to the children’s oncology unit where they are quietly snuck into their rooms by the amazing nursing staff so that the kiddos can wake up to a fabulous heart-felt surprise on Christmas Day. This project takes several hours of shopping and organizing the week-of Christmas. Lists of ages and genders and special likes & interests are given out as they are admitted into the unit, and the shopping begins. The items are then very generously stuffed into cool, traveling totes, decorated Santa style and finished off with glitter and tinsel and a little splash of love. In addition to patient Santa Sacks, Sibling Sacks are also customized and gifted since siblings spend an enormous amount of time in the hospital as well, supporting their loved one. The holidays are meant to be a time for unlimited sweetness for children as they think about life and all of its beauty and everything it has to offer. All of that is put on hold when you are fighting childhood cancer. Parents are occupied with serious medical questions and conditions, financial and insurance worries, jobs…and overall life. Holiday shopping is usually far from their minds or very hard to accomplish with their new life circumstances. She is there to deliver smiles, hope, love and just a little bit of a sweet distraction that is so very much needed at this challenged moment in time.
Cheers, happy holidays and thank you so much for any sweet consideration <3
The Healing Hunter Foundation is an Official 501(c)(3) that delivers noting but love and sweetness that enhances the lives of children fighting cancer
Salena Griffith
