Greater Than PDX

Today is PSU Spring Day of Giving! Follow the link to learn more about the Student Community Engagement Center (SCEC) and to support their “college buddies” mentorship program, which matches PSU students with 2nd graders in English and Spanish immersion classrooms at Alder Elementary.

https://psudayofgiving.org/s/1904/cf20/interior.aspx?sid=1904&gid=2&sitebuilder=1&pgid=1144&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2FGdWiL1mSWoN7GPjiOCkMFZ7XrPxn2ay9dtyRL6FcP_Bi2X6Xd703g_U_aem_AaCWtz797k0CLspE55PR1O8KKflEE-8WQhlxYTMxqLC6gnIbMr6SYz3zHcsOScfYpuomMvuDZN_HTXBPnTg5Yxy_

Student Community Engagement Center Make a gift to the Student Community Engagement Center (SCEC) to help support PSU students serving as mentors for elementary school students! Our center serves as a hub for student civic engagement. Your contribution this year will help support general funding and our “college buddies” mentorshi...

A huge thank you to Vernier Science Education for opening your doors to our students and providing an insightful and engaging career spotlight visit!

Another fantastic Career Day at Alder Elementary School! 🦅
A huge thank you to all the wonderful professionals who generously shared their expertise with Greater Than PDX students.

Careers this year included:
👩‍⚕️ WPU Nursing students - Warner Pacific University
🏢 Architecture- Opsis Architecture
🚒 Portland Fire Department - Portland Fire & Rescue
🔧 Plumbers and Steamfitters - UA Local 290
🐾 Humane Society - Oregon Humane Society
🎨Artist - Jennifer Mercede Art
🔨Roofing - Malarkey Roofing Products
📷 Photographer - Mika Martinez

And many, many other remarkable professionals and volunteers!
Thank you for investing your time and knowledge! 👏

Thank you, Ascend Hospitality Group and Stanford's for having Greater Than PDX as one of your Community Cocktails! $1 from each Peachy Keen and From Dusk ‘til Dawn sold from now until the end of May at Stanford's Restaurants in Tanasbourne will benefit Greater Than!

Stanford’s Community Cocktail is back for a spring fling! 🌼
From now until the end of May, head to any Stanford's Restaurants location and order a Peachy Keen, created by Tanasbourne's Stephanie Fockler or From Dusk 'til Dawn, created by Daniel Garner of Clackamas. $1 from each cocktail sold will benefit a local nonprofit, handpicked by our stores.

Clackamas: NC Public Schools
Northgate: Seattle Backpack Brigade
Tanasbourne: Greater Than PDX

❄️We are doing a Clothing Drive this month of December for Alder Elementary School Winter Carnival on December 14th. ❄️

We are looking for new and gently used clothing for pre-k to 5th grade: In special need of black leggings,boy sweatpants, socks,underwear and jackets. Kid sizes 4-12.

Please drop off the clothes a Alder Elementary School Main Office.

🌟 Join Our Team! 🌟

Greater Than PDX is hiring for Middle School Math Tutors – Temporary Employees. 📚✏️

Learn more about this role and how to apply on our website!

Our Team — Greater Than Our Team     We are a small team of passionate people working to create racially just learning environments.    Gaby Andrew-Lews Student Success Specialist - Reynolds School Districtshe/her/ella Contact Jessica Arzate Chief Impact Officer she/her/ella Contact Laura Bolaños Advocacy & Leadership...

🌟 Join Our Team! 🌟

Greater Than PDX is hiring for a High School Student Success Specialist 🎓

Learn more about this role and how to apply on our website!

Our Team — Greater Than Our Team We are a small team of passionate people working to create racially just learning environments. Gaby Andrew-Lews Student Success Specialist - Reynolds School Districtshe/her/ella Contact Jessica Arzate Chief Impact Officer she/her/ella Contact Laura Bolaños Advocacy & Leadership...

Our partner, Alder Montessori School - AEME, is on the lookout for individuals to join their team. They have three opportunities available:

Lead Montessori Guide 📚
Bilingual Program Coordinator 🗣️
Student Services Specialist 🎓

Learn more about these positions and how to apply at:

Current Openings Take a look at the current openings at Alliance for Equity in Montessori Education

Last Bookmobile of the summer yesterday was such a blast! Huge shout out to Home Forward, Alder Elementary MFS SUN Community School, Greater Than PDX staff, OHSU School of Nursing, and all of our volunteers!

Looking forward to seeing the Alder Elementary School community tomorrow, Wednesday, August 30 for our Pop Up Bookmobile from 12-1 pm. Tomorrow's event will be hosted in partnership with Home Forward @ Eastwood Court, 18270 SE Yamhill St.

Michelle Brown, Alder Elementary MFS SUN Community School site manager at Alder, will be the guest reader!

Snow cones, free books, free food and more!🍧📕

Looking forward to seeing the Alder Elementary School community for our Pop Up Bookmobile from 12-1 pm this Wednesday, August 23rd @ East Stark Apartments, 17010 SE Stark St., Portland, OR 97233.

Featuring special guest reader, David Huerta, Alder 3rd grade teacher!

AND...the Alder Eagle may be near by flying in to say hello to students! 🦅

Special shout out to our fierce volunteers last week delivering books and food to Alder families in the hot weather:
Our Just Future
OHSU School of Nursing
PSU MAPS

Bookmobile will continue this week just for Greater Than PDX families at Fair Acres Apartments and near by. We will be delivering to Alder Elementary School families apartments between 12-1pm and not setting up on site due to the excessive high temperatures.

A special shout out to ”Chillin’ The Poet” Goss the Poet for kicking off our summer Bookmobile at Rockwood Village last week. Great live reading and book signing. Special appreciation to Hacienda CDC for organizing the space, Urban Gleaners for food donations and The Children's Book Bank for supply lots of great books.

So grateful for all of our awesome Alder Elementary School Staff & Volunteers who Helped out! Special shout out to Michael Vanpool, Jacquelyn Scott from Our Just Future, OHSU School of Nursing Students and our amazing Greater Than PDX team!

Join Greater Than PDX at Rockwood Village (783 SE 185th Ave.) this Wednesday for Alder Love Pop-Up Bookmobile! Live performance, book signing, free books, school supplies and snacks for all.

Featuring Author Montrell Goss!:
https://www.chillinscreations.com/about

Greater Than PDX is Hiring! High School Student Success Specialist, Reynolds School District. Salary Range: $39k-$55k. Follow Link for full Job Announcement.

High School Student Success Specialist at Greater Than - Portland, OR Overview of Organization Greater Than (formerly I Have a Dream Oregon) is seeking applicants for the full-time position of Student Success Specialist- High School. This is a great opportunity to join a mission-driven team unified around educational equity, racial justice, and a drive to make systemi...

Greater Than PDX is hiring!

Currently seeking applicants for the full-time position of Alder Elementary School Program Coordinator.

View full job announcement here:

Our Team — Greater Than Our Team     We are a small team of passionate people working to create racially just learning environments.    Gaby Andrew-Lews Student Success Specialist - Reynolds School Districtshe/her/ella Contact Jessica Arzate Chief Impact Officer she/her/ella Contact Laura Bolaños Advocacy & Leadership...

🎓🎉 Congratulations to Greater Than PDX's incredible graduating seniors from Reynolds High School!! 🎓🎉

We are immensely proud of the unwavering determination and adaptability they have shown throughout their educational journey. Despite facing unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic, they have emerged stronger than ever, demonstrating resilience that inspires us all.

Yesterday, we celebrated an incredible milestone at Alder Elementary School - the 5th grade promotion ceremony! 🎉 It was awesome to witness the joy and pride radiating from the students, their families, and the dedicated faculty and staff. We believe in the bright future that awaits these amazing students, and Greater Than PDX is committed to providing unwavering support every step of the way. 🎓💪

This morning GT graduating seniors from Reynolds High School returned to their alma mater, Alder Elementary School, to reminisce, celebrate, and inspire the next generation. We couldn't be prouder of these seniors and their accomplishments! Here are just of few of the heartwarming moments captured during their visit.

What an incredible Career Day at Alder Elementary! We were so inspired by the amazing professionals who shared their knowledge with us, including an architect, x-ray technicians, firefighters, an author, plumbers and steam fitters, graphic designers, and so many more!

Today is PSU Spring Day of Giving! Follow the link to learn more about the Student Community Engagement Center (SCEC) and to support their “college buddies” mentorship program, which matches PSU students with 2nd graders in English and Spanish immersion classrooms at Alder Elementary.

https://psudayofgiving.org/s/1904/cf20/interior.aspx?sid=1904&gid=2&sitebuilder=1&pgid=1144

PSU Spring Day of Giving PSU Spring Day of Giving is just around the corner! Join the Portland State community on Wednesday, April 12, for a grassroots day of giving in support of 75...

Thank you, T.C. O'Leary's for your support during your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations! 🍀

Dawn breaks on a gorgeous St. Patrick's morning! ☀️

We're open - come celebrate with us! A portion of proceeds from today will be donated to Greater Than PDX! ☘️

Thank you to the Hillsboro community and Hillsboro Downtown Partnership for your support! We certainly share your love for teachers and this community.

Thank you to everyone who donated for our 2023 Season of Love Banner Fundraiser!

Our community raised over $1300 to support and Hillsboro students as well as HDP. Enjoy seeing your dedications to loved ones on our Downtown light posts from February-April.

Thank you to our partner Hillsboro Downtown Partnership for including us in this celebration of teachers! For as little as $50 you can dedicate a message to a teacher and see it on display in downtown Hillsboro this spring. Your dedication will not only recognize amazing teachers but a portion of the funds will also support Greater Than programs. Consider dedicating a banner to your favorite teacher today!

We are dedicating the Season of Love's fundraiser to celebrate the teachers, administrators, families, and friends who support the education of students and in particular, those who are impacted by racial, economic, or social inequities. We hope you take this chance to dedicate a special message to someone you know who is in the education system or who supports it in their own way! In keeping with this theme, this fundraiser will support local educational partner, Greater Than.

Greater Than supports students effected by social inequities that can disrupt learning:

"At Greater Than, we strive to demonstrate that there is a different way to approach the longstanding inequities in our education system. We believe that the broader community as a whole needs to come together to meet the needs of students and families and allow schools and teachers to focus on what they do best: facilitate learning. When a community-based organization can coordinate programs, partners, and help families meet their basic household needs, it enables a school environment to focus on the core purpose of teaching."

We are still accepting banner dedications outside of these parameters, so feel free to celebrate anyone in your life who deserves a little love this season, even your Hillsboro community as a whole!

Find more info at downtownhillsboro.org/banners.

Greater Than is grateful for our partnership with the students, teachers, administrators, and families of Hallinan Elementary School. For the past 4 years, the Hallinan community has deeply partnered with Our Alder community in Rockwood to provide STEM carts, be active pen pals, support garden projects, donate winter holiday gifts, give snack bags for students and more. This winter they provided many gifts and shoes for students and more than 400 snack bags. Thank you Hallinan Elementary!

Greater Than PDX is hiring!

Chief Operating Officer at Greater Than - Portland, OR Job Announcement Overview of Organization Greater Than (formerly I Have a Dream Oregon) is seeking applicants for the full-time position of Chief Operating Officer. This is a great opportunity to join a mission-driven team unified around educational equity, racial justice, and a drive to make system...

Did you see us on KGW news last night? We are a featured grantee of the Oregon Community Foundation’s GO Kids funding and are honored to have our work highlighted!

“We just feel like we're in service to what the parents and the kids need,” said Langseth. "And I am just thankful everyday to be part of that."

Oregon Community Foundation helps in closing the 'opportunity gap' granting $2M to 30 Oregon-based nonprofits Their Go Kids initiative has distributed grants since 2019 to groups that directly help kids in underserved communities.

Thank you Hillsboro Medical Center and the Hillsboro community for donating coats! We can’t wait to distribute them to students in the coming weeks.

There's still time to help make this winter a bit warmer for children at Lincoln Street Elementary School!

Donate new and used coats (sizes XS 4-5 to XL 14-16) to our Winter Coast Drive with Greater Than PDX. 🧥

Donations can be dropped off at our Health Education Center at 334 SE 8th Ave. until December 2. Thanks for your support! ❤️

Please join us Wednesdays 12pm-1pm through August for the FREE Alder Love Pop-up Bookmobile! Only two left this summer!

Overview of Organization
Greater Than (formerly “I Have a Dream” Oregon) is seeking applicants for the full-time position of
Student Success Specialist- Middle School. This is a great opportunity to join a mission-driven team
unified around educational equity, racial justice, and a drive to make systemic change for historically
underserved students and families. We are in a state of growth and looking to add several positions to
our team.
The mission of Greater Than (GT) is to support and empower students from poverty-impacted
communities to thrive in school, college and career. Working alongside parents, community partners
and local school districts, Greater Than seeks to transform public education outcomes in Oregon for
historically underserved students. We view every aspect of our work through the lens of racial equity,
which guides our decision-making, relationships, policies, and practices. Our work is built on three
pillars: education, community, and equity. Our programs aim to advance a racially just future for
learning because equitable education is a right. We are intent on moving from a system of holding
power over community to holding power with community. We are committed to racial equity and the
restructuring of systems that create inequities for marginalized individuals.
Greater Than strives to facilitate a healthy work/life balance culture. As such, this position can work with
their supervisor to create a flexible schedule and remote work options. Generous compensation
includes:
 Hourly pay range: $39,038-$54,930
 Fringe benefits are the equivalent of 35% of wage and include:
o 100% employee premium paid for medical/alternative medicine/dental/vision insurance
o Employer paid life, long- and short-term disability insurance
o Flexible Spending and Dependent Care Benefit Plans and Employee Assistance Program
o Generous paid time off: 15 days of accrued vacation, 12 days of sick, and 11 flexible holidays.
Extended weekend hours between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
o Simple IRA retirement plan with employer matching program
o Monthly cell phone stipend
o 1 month paid sabbatical after 5 years of continuous employment
Greater Than serves approximately 1,200 students in schools in two distinct communities: Rockwood in
East Multnomah County and, as of 2020, Hillsboro—City Center. While the communities are more than 30
miles apart, they share many strengths and are both high opportunity communities. These
neighborhoods have been impacted by systemic racism, holding families back from reaching their
fullest potential.
The scope of the Greater Than Initiative includes programmatic supports for early learning, K-12
academics, post-secondary success, and entry into career. We continuously work to expand our
partnerships and relationships to provide robust support services across all points of the education
continuum. We are flexible problem solvers committed to providing equitable education for GT students
in Reynolds and Hillsboro School District. This requires our approach be a combination of direct service
and deep collaboration. For more information, please visit www.greater-than.org.
Equity Statement
We believe that cultural, institutional, and individual racism creates disparities and barriers that are
neither fair nor equitable.
We are committed to advancing racial equity as a foundational element of all aspects of our work and
with all of our stakeholders. In addition to racism, we recognize that ALL other forms of bias must also be
addressed in order to create a more just and equitable society.
We remain steadfast in our commitment to comprehensive community partnerships to help close the
racialized opportunity gap in our schools and colleges. We strive to create a truly equitable
organization: one where students, families, and communities are welcomed and supported, where their
faces, voices, and experiences are reflected and valued.
We listen and respond with great care and intentionality to the students and families with whom we
partner. We consistently analyze our organizational commitment to equity and inclusion as expressed
through our policies and practices, our workforce and board composition, and engagement of students
and families as central guiders of our work. We are committed to collaborating with other organizations
towards advancing equity for all.
Position Responsibilities
The Middle School Success Specialist is responsible for the coordination and implementation of the
middle school programming for Greater Than and Lincoln Street Elementary/Evergreen Middle School
(EMS) in the Hillsboro School District (HSD). This position will implement a service-delivery model to
create smooth transitions from elementary to middle and middle to high school for students, resulting
in higher participation in Greater Than (GT) programming, high school graduation, and post-secondary
success. This position provides holistic and wraparound support for Lincoln Street Elementary School
(LSES) students