October 2025 PTA Newsletter
Hello Vestal Families! 🐝
September was quite the whirlwind, getting us back into the swing of things in no time! Our fundraiser with The Hollywood Theater was a big success, there were over 200 attendees to our special showing of Hook, raising $1300 for our school! Honeycomb is up and running, connecting Vestal families (have you seen the Halloween costume swap?? Genius!). We had a great community care day - see below for info on the next one. We got new signs for added clarity and visibility of our wonderful school garden, and so much more!
How was your September? How can your PTA improve your school experience? Come out to our October PTA meeting and let us know!
PTA News and Updates 📰
Join us this Thursday, October 2, from 5–8 pm at Threshold Brewing & Blending (403 SE 79th Ave, Portland) for their After School Special! 10% of all proceeds will go directly to the Vestal PTA. Threshold is an all-ages space, so bring the whole family and enjoy an evening of community, good food, and good cheer - all while supporting our school.
Our October PTA meeting is Tuesday, October 14, from 6:30–8:00 pm. This will be a hybrid meeting (in person + online), but it’s also our only in-person meeting this fall. If you’re able, we’d love to see you at Vestal (Room 210)! We’ll have snacks and drinks to share, and we’re looking forward to connecting and hearing from all of you.. To attend in person, come on down to Vestal, room 210. To attend via Zoom, please click here OR or dial +1 346 248 7799, and use passcode: 898024.
A few free ways to support the PTA:
BottleDrop: On 1st and 3rd Mondays, at school pick up on the black top, you’ll see friendly folks with blue bags. That is Matt and Cate Statton, our BottleDrop team. Get a blue bag, spend a few weeks collecting your household cans, and return them on the next BottleDrop date! Upcoming dates: October 6, October 20.
Kroger Rewards: Did you know you can support the Vestal PTA with every Freddy’s run? Here’s how: 1. Sign into your rewards account at fredmeyer.com 2. Under Savings & Rewards, click Community Rewards. 3.Type Vestal PTA (Org #TV499) in the search box and click Enroll. You still get all your points, and Fred Meyer gives to Vestal!
Box Tops: Turn your grocery shopping into support for the Vestal PTA! It’s simple with the Box Tops for Education app: 1) Download the app. 2) Select Vestal Elementary as your school. 3) Buy products with the Box Tops label. 4) Scan your receipt within 14 days (paper OR digital!)
We continue to update our website, making it more useful to every family! Check out our Events page for a calendar, our Volunteer page to get involved, and our Store for some sweet Vestal merch!
Green Team Updates! 🍃
International Walk & Roll to School Day: On Wednesday, October 8th, we’ll be celebrating International Walk & Roll to School Day! We will have Safe Routes to School swag and donut holes available at the bike racks 7:45-8:00 for participating students. Sync up with friends in your neighborhood to walk/bike/roll together, or join us:
Bike bus at 7:45 at NE 70th & Davis
Bike bus at 7:45 at the Montavilla Minifarm (NE 78th & Oregon)
Walking school bus at 7:40 at SE 86th/Burnside
Volunteers needed for this event! Please see below or click here to sign up!
Community Care Day: Thank you to everyone who has made our first two Community Care Days of the year a success! It has been wonderful to see all the Vestal Bees come out and support our beautiful school. Not to worry if you haven't been able to make it out yet - our next meet up will be Saturday, October 18, 10 AM - 12 PM. We hope to see you there!
Depave Project: We are so excited for the progress with the Outdoor Classroom! DePave has been working diligently through the summer, and is expected to be finished with the construction around October/November. We will be reaching out around that time for assistance with getting all the baby plants in the ground before winter hits. Be sure to check out the area if you haven't yet!
October Volunteer Opportunities 💪
PPS Volunteer Application: If you want to volunteer in the school this year, be sure and submit your online volunteer application and background check. This is a quick, free check that lasts three years. A person is considered a volunteer if they have the potential for unsupervised contact with PPS students during school hours, including chaperones for field trips. Click here for information and the online application.
Walk and Roll to School Day on Wednesday, October 8: We are looking for 1-2 volunteers for table/swag set up to hand out things to the kids, and one to support crossing at 80th & Everett. This will be a quick, easy, and fun volunteer shift! Click here to sign up.
Rock, Paper, Soiree Planning Meeting on Friday, October 17, 6:30-7:30 PM: For those new to Vestal, our spring soiree was a huge success last year, both raising important funds for our school and giving us a chance to celebrate together as a community. Believe it or not, planning for this year’s event is already underway! If you’d like to get involved, this virtual meeting is the perfect time to learn more, share ideas, and see where you might lend a hand. To attend, just email vestalelementarypta@gmail.com for the meeting link.
Community Care Day on Saturday, October 18, 10 AM -12 PM will be a great chance to volunteer at the school and have fun with community!
October Events and Reminders:
Wed, October 1: Walk and Bike With City Leaders
Thu, October 2: Threshold After School Special, 5-8 PM
Wed, October 8: International Walk & Roll to School Day
Fri, October 10: No school, statewide inservice day
Tue, October 14: PTA Meeting - in person & online, 6:30 PM
Fri, October 17: Rock, Paper, Soiree planning meeting, 6:30 PM
Sat, October 18: Community Care Day, 10 AM - 12 PM
Wed, October 22: Early release, 11:50 AM
Thu-Fri, October 30-31: No school, grading and planning days
Weekly / Recurring Events:
BottleDrop (1st and 3rd Mondays): Oct 6, 20
Bike Bus North (Wednesdays): Oct 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Bike Bus West: Every day
Walking Bus (M/W/F): Oct 1, 3, 6, 8, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29
Fresh Food Market (Fridays, 2–2:45 PM): Oct 3, 17, 24
Thank you for reading, and for being a part of the Vestal community!