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Every year, Portland High School opens its doors for incoming freshmen and their parents the evening before school starts.  The Freshmen Barbeque provides a relaxed and friendly atmosphere in which vital information about the freshmen year is shared.   Parents are encouraged to ask questions and meet staff, while freshmen have an opportunity to tour the school, learn from upper-class student volunteers and meet one another as a class for the first time.

This year, Portland High School partnered with the district's Multilingual and Multicultural Center to reach out to the multilingual parents of incoming freshman.  The first Multilingual Parent Orientation Breakfast took place on August 23. 

Juice, coffee, donuts and fruit were  served up as parents  from Burundi, Congo, Iraq, Somalia, and Vietnam along with their freshmen students received vital information about high school graduation requirements, attendance policies,  academic and co-curricular options and opportunities. 

Interpretation in Somali, French, Arabic and Vietnamese was provided by the district's Multilingual Parent Community Specialists.  Multilingual parents who could not attend will receive an informational packet along with assistance in understanding its contents. 

Principal Deborah Migneault welcomed parents to the school and set the stage for the essential key to success in high school:  a strong parent-school partnership.  Superintendent Emmanuel Caulk spoke to the young people in the room about the essential ABCs of high school:  Attendance, Behavior and Credit.  He challenged students to strive to become the top of their class and stressed the importance of becoming involved in the PHS school community through sports, clubs and activities.

Both students and parents were encouraged to seek the advice, assistance and support of the teaching, guidance and administrative staff at Portland High.