Events at Jefferson High School this week

The schedule of major meetings:

Monday – Portland Public Schools (PPS) Board Meeting at Jefferson, 7 p.m.
Tuesday – PPS School Facilities Plan community meeting at Jefferson, 7 p.m.
Wednesday – 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. City Council meetings at Jefferson
Thursday – Jefferson Parent and Community Open House, 7 p.m.
Friday – Mayor’s State of the City Address at Jefferson, 12:30 p.m.

Mayor Tom Potter’s press release:

“Mayor Tom Potter is moving City Hall to Jefferson High School for a week to give students, parents and educators a first hand lesson in how government really works – and to showcase the opportunities, successes and challenges facing every school in Portland’s six public school districts.

The visit begins at first bell at 7:45 a.m. on Monday, January 14th, and concludes with the annual State of the City address on January 18th in the school auditorium. The regular Wednesday City Council meeting will also be held at Jefferson that week in the auditorium.

Mayor Potter accepted the invitation last fall when students from Jefferson visited the City Council. The Mayor said he would not only visit the school, but bring along his entire staff and invite area political and civic leaders, as well as parents and local business owners to join him.

“By walking through these doors, we can see first hand what is going well and what challenges still exist,” said Mayor Potter. “More importantly, we can all ask ourselves: ‘How can I help?'”

On Monday, local leaders will attend an assembly showcasing student talents and then participate in a roundtable discussion led by students. In the afternoon, the Mayor will meet one-on-one with students on whatever subject they want to talk about, part of the monthly “Ten Minutes With Tom” sessions he has conducted throughout the city since being elected.

On Tuesday, the Mayor will visit classrooms and meet with students at the Harriet Tubman Young Women’s Leadership Academy, one of four academies at Jefferson that give students an opportunity to learn in smaller settings geared toward their specific academic interests. More than 130 City employees, including Jefferson alumni, have volunteered to visit classrooms throughout the week to talk with students about what they do and discuss mentoring and internship opportunities. In the evening, the Mayor will join parents and community members to hear the neighborhood’s priorities for improvements to school buildings.

The City Council agenda on Wednesday evening will include consideration of three programs at the core of the Mayor’s agenda in the coming year:

* A resolution to create a new Office of Human Relations, which will focus on eliminating discrimination and bigotry, and strengthening relationships between groups in an increasingly diverse city.

* A report by the Immigrant and Refugee Task Force, which will recommend strategies the City can adopt to make government more accessible to immigrants and help groups learn how to participate in decision making.

* The Racial Profiling Committee will present a status report on their work to-date.

Earlier in the day, the Council will hear from student leaders from schools throughout the city, and commissioners have been invited to share lunch with students in the cafeteria.

On Thursday, the Mayor will attend an open house sponsored by Jefferson parents and community members, and be joined by PPS Superintendent Carole Smith and Jefferson Principal Cynthia Harris at a “Ten Minutes With Tom” open to parents and community members.

The Mayor will use his State of the City address on Friday to show how Portlanders can help make their schools – and their children – more successful. City Club members will get on PPS buses and make the trek to Jefferson for the speech.”

Want to help?

Volunteers are needed to help with logistics during the events listed above. Show up and ask what needs to be done. Also, the Jefferson Library is in need of volunteers to help students, shelve books, etc. Please contact the school, 503-916-5180, if you are interested in donating an hour or two a week.