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Kyle Holbrook, founder of Moving Lives of Kids (MLK Mural Project), has created over 150 Murals in Miami, nearly 400 murals in the Pittsburgh area, murals in every Borough of New York City, several in Phoenix, San Fransisco, London, Tokyo as well as in 43 countries and 49 states. His collaborative work focuses on galvanizing people through the power of art, with a specialty in working with adults and youth with special needs. Holbrook aims to show the true power of art to unite communities, champion causes, and beautify neighborhoods, thereby reducing criminal activity through the broken windows theory. He has also collaborated with police departments to improve community relations and created memorials and works for veterans, in addition to contributing to major events like the US Open, the World Cup, and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

This Fall, Kyle Holbrook will be at Sitton painting a mural in celebration of our the work of our èßäÊÓƵ, families and staff as Portland's First Neighborhood School! We are so excited and honored to work with Kyle. You can find more information about his other works at:

All September long you can "round up" your bill at St. John's Ace Hardware in support of Sitton èßäÊÓƵ. 100% of proceeds from this fundraiser will go to support hands-on learning experiences, field trips and guest speakers. We are so grateful for the community support. Please tell your friends, family, and neighbors about this awesome opportunity. Thanks again to the Broadway Ace Hardware Group for their support in fostering engaging and joyful learning in our community. Go Falcons!  

HeART of Portland, the annual celebration of local student artists, is returning to the Portland Art Museum (PAM) beginning April 16.

The two-week fine arts showcase features work by èßäÊÓƵ from across èßäÊÓƵ and is made possible by the Arts Access Fund, which also supports elementary visual and performing arts educators.

kicks off with an opening reception at PAM on April 16 at 6:30 p.m. and concludes with the Miller Family Free Day on April 27. The opening reception will include musical and theatrical performances, as well as a set from the elementary èßäÊÓƵ honor choir – made up of two singers from each PPS elementary – and the debut of the honor dance collective. 

In addition, the showcase will feature more than 100 works of student visual art, handpicked by PPS arts educators, and a collaborative art project for K-12 èßäÊÓƵ that embraces the rebellious spirit of the current PAM exhibition,  

The reception and HeART of Portland exhibits are free and open to everyone. Please join us in lifting up our student artists!

èßäÊÓƵ is continuing to host a series of events aimed at starting productive conversations about what is possible in the systems we create for our children with disabilities.

As part of this series, we are excited to welcome you to a free screening of  on Thursday March 20 at . Doors open at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at 7:00.

The Ride Ahead is a film about adult life with disabilities by a man with disabilities. It is the debut of 21-year-old Samuel Habib who, struggling to find his place in the world, decides to make a film that charts how a group of disabled adults navigate challenges and forge their own unique paths. The film serves as a roadmap for himself and others and illustrates the compelling power of one person truly determined to live life on his own terms.

In documenting his journey, Samuel is following in the footsteps of his father, the filmmaker Dan Habib. You can learn more about their work .

Staff, families, and community members are all invited. Parking is free and McMenamins' full menu is available for ordering. We hope to see you there!

In meteorological terms, Portland’s first big weather event of 2024 was the definition of a perfect storm. Frigid temperatures and high winds combined with snow and ice to bring down tree limbs, close roads, scramble traffic, freeze pipes, and knock out power for tens of thousands of residents.

It was a metaphorical perfect storm for èßäÊÓƵ as well. Fallen trees cut power to multiple èßäÊÓƵs and others have suffered water damage from broken pipes. Lack of heat was also a problem, and impassable roads, paired with snowed-in and icy parking lots, made it impossible for buses to run safely. Those same conditions limited how the district’s facilities and operations teams can even assess the scope of the issues, let alone begin working on solutions. And icy sidewalks meant walkers have no safe route to èßäÊÓƵ.

This week could bring similar conditions to the Portland area, and PPS’s School Closure Team is ready to meet the challenge. The team convenes regularly during inclement weather to take all of the above into careful consideration. By now, families are quite familiar with how the district communicates these decisions. What’s perhaps less known is how district leaders arrive at such decisions in the first place.