School Updates

We are in the third and final trimester of the school year, with just about six weeks to go!! This is the time of year when we are working hard to be sure that we have a strong finish to the year, while also working on our planning for next year. This week I wanted to update you in a few areas you may find of interest.

Positive School Behavior: Our PBIS Team has been working hard to keep kids excited about making good choices at school! This spring the students “unlocked” the Pup Point store by collectively earning schoolwide points. Since that time, each class has been able to spend their pup points at the store every three weeks. Our Pup Point store has been stocked partially by an FTME grants and also from donations. If you have small toys at your home you’d like to donate, please feel free to drop by anything that is gently used.

May is Bike and Walk to School Month! We encourage families who live in the neighborhood to try to walk or bike as you can this month. Next year, our parking situation will be even tighter, as the Judkins Park light rail station opens and on-street parking near the school is restricted, so let’s see if we can get more biking and walking going year-round!

Hiring Updates: We recently interviewed to hire for five positions for next year. We are hiring for two classroom teaching positions, a special education teacher for our primary Focus classroom, a .5 PE teacher (in addition to Ms. Litton), and a preschool instructional assistant position. We have forwarded our recommendations to Human Resources, and we will let you know about our new hires once they are finalized.

Staffing for next year: I will keep you posted as we fill these positions, and, close to the end of the school year, I will let you know our full staffing line-up. Disclaimer: This can change as our enrollment fluctuates, so we do not make class assignments until just before the start of the school year. While we do not take teacher requests, if you have strong feelings about the type of setting your child learns best in, feel free to email Tana at tpleybold@seattleschools.org with a description of the type of classroom environment that would work best for your child by June 1.

Enrollment Updates: TM currently has 510 students enrolled from K–5th grade. Next year, we are projected to have 455 students. Right now, we have 514 students enrolled for next year. At this time, we only have 26 kindergarten students enrolled. This number tends to grow over the summer, but it is so helpful to us if we know how many kindergarten students we will have as early as possible. If you know of families who will be joining us for K next year, please encourage them to register with the district as soon as possible!

---

Our Teachers Are Lifelong Learners Too!

Last week Ms. Egolf and Ms. Miller attended a literacy conference and got to hear keynote speaker Zaretta Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain. Ms. Jensen will be attending a training with Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted, and four more teachers will be attending the Washington Association of Educators of the Talented and Gifted Conference.

---

Congratulations TM Ultimate Frisbee Team!

Thurgood Marshall's Ultimate Frisbee team won their quarterfinal and semifinal playoff games last weekend, advancing to the finals. They will play Cascadia Dragons (Seawings) for the division championship this coming Saturday 5/10 at 2:30 p.m. near Magnuson Park's soccer field 2 (https://maps.app.goo.gl/FNe2D6xgTaWNsMf28).

Go Bullpups!  

Please feel free to contact coach Jesse Willard with any questions at jwillard@gmail.com or 240-441-8788.

---

Speak With Purpose Student Voices - Leo Yu

Hi, my name is Leo Yu, and this is my Passion Piece.

First off, give a silent thank you to any teacher who has supported you in any way, because without them, you might not be here today with your place in life.

Now, have you ever felt that these people, your teachers, aren’t acknowledged enough? Sometimes, I’m sure. Today I’m going to talk about the importance of our world’s educators, our guiding light to getting a good job, career, and life. I believe that we need to show that we recognize them. We can start by raising their pay.

This idea started in 2023, when I began my opinion essay in 4th grade. At first, I couldn’t think of anything, but then I found out that elementary school teachers were only paid around $75,000 a year, handling classes with an average of 20-25 students. That sparked my thoughts about how much teachers give for communities all around the world. Because our community is a boat, and our teachers are the sails. They keep us going, they steer us on the right path. Still, some don’t recognize that, though. That if we support our teachers more, everything could change.

Our problem is that teachers aren’t getting paid enough in relation to the work that they do and the education they contribute. And it's not just their job that's important. I´ve had many teachers over the years who as people, are kind, compassionate, and empathetic. To continue to acknowledge that we need their support, kindness, and input to society, step forward and make a petition, write a letter to the school board. Just something that gets teachers what they deserve.

Thank you.