Thursday, June 17th, 2021, Volume 15 Issue 94
It’s hard to believe that this is our last Pup Press issue for the year! If you are coming back to TM next year, you will receive an occasional email update over the summer, but nothing substantial until the welcome back letter in mid-August. We will let you know at this time how you can find out about your teacher assignment.
If you have students joining us for kindergarten (or know others who do), please be sure to register your students as soon as possible. This ensures that we will have the necessary staffing to serve our students. You can learn everything you need to know here: https://www.seattleschools.org/admissions/registration .
Also, we will host an abbreviated Kindergarten Jump Start orientation program on August 17 and 18 from 9AM-12PM. All registered families will receive more info on this soon.
Thurgood Marshall will not be a meal site this summer. Our last day of meal distribution will be this Friday, June 18. Beacon Hill, Madrona and John Muir are the closest summer meal sites to our school.
You may have heard that I was sprayed with silly string by 25 or so students on Tuesday. Why? Because we met our goal for the Move-a-thon! We were hopeful that we could raise $10,000 towards our field trips for next year, but with your support, we surpassed that goal raising a total of $11,972.14!! Incredible! Thank you so much for making this possible.
I wanted to share a few resources for summer learning with you and encourage you to keep the learning going for your child all summer long.
Our students have made great gains with their reading this year and we don’t want them to lose any traction. In fact, as we tallied our data for our earliest readers, here’s the stats:
Kindergarten: 59% of our students are reading ABOVE grade level expectation!
1st Grade: 32% of students were at or above grade level at the start of the year. By the end of the year, 58% were at or above grade level!
2nd Grade: At the start of the year, 52% of students tested below grade level. By the end of the year, 47% were ABOVE grade level expectation!
Remember, this is in a year when not every child was able to attend consistently. Just imagine what this could look like next year when we are back in school! Let’s keep it going!
We are running a Four Book Reading Challenge for all our students. Our Library will be open each Tuesday this summer from 4-7 PM beginning this Tuesday, June 22. Mr. Zetterberg explains our program as well as some other local reading programs here: https://youtu.be/EuifiYBQ5lM
Our Family Literacy Connector, Ms. Washington, has collected information about all the local summer reading programs and compiled it in one place for your convenience. Thanks for your research, Ms. Washington! The full list is at the bottom of this column.
The Student & Family Support Program will be hosting a summer student learning opportunity called the Summer Advancement Program August 2-21, 2021. The program will operate from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Holgate St. Church of Christ located at 2600 South Holgate Street, Seattle, WA 98144. The program is for students who have completed grades K-5. Go to www.StudentFamilySupport.com to pre-register. Contact Jimmy Hurd at 206-717-4775 for questions or additional information. Thank you to Jimmy Hurd and the team at the Holgate St. Church of Christ for partnering with our school this year!
Finally, celebrate Juneteenth with on online celebration at Mohai this Saturday, June 19. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. There are other celebrations around the area - It Takes A Village, a local nonprofit, will host its sixth annual in-person Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 19, at Othello Park from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Finally, I just want to thank all of you for another great year of school. While this was not the school year any of us would have wished for, throughout it you kept your children learning and encouraged our school staff with your appreciation and kind words. You consistently keep us inspired to make our school all it can be and to be sure we are serving the needs of our community. It is such a privilege to work with you and your children. Have a wonderful summer and we will see you back on September 1st!
Summer Book Reading Programs 2021
Seattle Mariners Summer Slugger
Each week, students complete a series of fun, interactive baseball-themed Math and Literacy games. Aligns with State and National standards in math and literacy.
Seattle Seahawks Summer Reading Program
Students win prizes for tracking the amount of time they read.
Book IT Reading Program
-Students can earn free pizza from Pizza Hut for tracking the amount of time they read.
Chuck E. Cheese Summer Reading Program
Simply track progress on these printable incentive charts by marking the days off with a pen or sticker as your kids accomplish their goals, then bring in a completed calendar or behavior chart to Chuck E. Cheese and receive 10 free play points or tokens as a reward.
UW Summer Reading Program
Enter Code: dawgreader (all lower case)
- Participants read at least 30 minutes a day over 30 separate days to earn a Husky reward and reading certificate.
Seattle Public Library-Summary of Reading
Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program
This summer, kids in grades 1-6 earn a FREE book. Read any eight books and record them in your Summer Reading Journal. When you're done, bring it to a Barnes & Noble store and choose your free book! Redeemable 7/1-8/31. Learn more here! Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the web site.
Half Price Books Summering Reading Camp (Online)
Submit reading log and receive a reading reward at the end of the month.
King County Library System
Any family member can log reading hours, so it encourages the whole family to read.
Scholastic Learn At Home
-This site has some engaging activities for reading over the summer.
Reading Rockets
This site has a lot of information about reading, and it has suggestions that for activities that families can do over the summer that integrate reading.
PBS Kids Read
This site has reading activities and strategies for families
Sesame Street Reading Adventures
This site has read alouds, games, adventures
As we think about wrapping up the school year, here’s a few things you might want to know:
From June 23 until Fall Start of School, the Security Office at the central office, John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence, has agreed to collect student devices.
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ONLY.
Put the student name & school name inside the laptop or on the iPad, so we know who turned it in.
Ring the buzzer to get in to drop off the devices.
Located at 2445 3rd Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98124.
Official Launch of K-5 Math Adoption and Adoption Committee Applications Open
The process for the K-5 Math Instructional Materials adoption has begun. We are currently soliciting applicants to serve on the 2021 K-5 Math Adoption Committee. We are looking for SPS staff, family members, students, and community representatives to serve on this committee during the 2021-22 school year. More information can be K-5 Math Instructional Materials Adoption Committee announcement.
Applications are open through July 16. Please share with your school community.
JUNETEENTH WEEKEND AT MOHAI
You are invited to Experience A Weekend of History
Celebrate Juneteenth with a special storytelling-hour featuring Mr. Delbert Richardson. During this hour, Mr. Richardson will highlight the resistance of his ancestors during the periods of American chattel slavery and Jim Crow, as well as focus on the resilience of Black brilliance.
PHYSICAL MUSEUM, 4-Days
MOHAI Installation of The Unspoken Truths
Juneteenth weekend
Friday, June 18th - Monday, June 21st, 2021
MOHAI will be open from 10 am to 5 pm.
Timed ticketing is in place, limiting the number of visitors that can enter each hour. For more information about visiting the museum: https://mohai.org/visit/#plan-a-visit
ONLINE
Storytelling session about Juneteenth
1619: Resistance/Resilience/Remembrance
Saturday, June 19th, 2 pm PST
ADULTS, KIDS and FAMILIES, TEENS
Audiences of all ages are welcome to join us!
