Thursday, January 7th, 2021, Volume 15 Issue 72
Welcome back to school and Happy New Year!
Principal Katie May
My wish to all of you is that 2021 is an easier, healthier year for all. Now that we are back together, I wanted to make sure everyone is aware of a few things that may be on your minds…
FAMILY LEARNING GROUPS:
Family Learning Groups are our school’s answer to the Learning Pods that many families across the country began to form when it became evident that school would not be in person this fall. Our diverse school community works hard to be inclusive and integrated, and if we want to stay that way, then creating groups that span our school programs is essential. This fall, we began working on creating small groups of 4-7 families in the same grade that could form a small group for support and social networking. Thursday, December 17 was the kick-off of these Family Learning Groups.
The idea behind the groups are that they will give families a way to be connected to others in our school community, something that is trickier to do now that we cannot be in person together. Families new to our school may particularly benefit from being in touch with families who are familiar with our school operations and our community. Each group can choose to use this as a resource in the way that works best for them. Some families may choose to have game nights, to host homework club, to share resources and ideas during this time of quarantine, to take turns reading bedtime stories, or just to have the students virtually hang-out. How you use this group is up to your group! Our challenge to each group is to try to get together at least once before the end of January. In early February, we will schedule a virtual meeting to check back on how things are going with your group. We can make adjustments to groups at this time, for example, if you are paired up with a group with members who have decided they are not able participate at this time.
Family Learning Groups and contact information were sent out to each grade level right before Winter Break. If you are on the list but do not wish to participate, or if you were inadvertently left off the list, or if you did not receive the information about Family Learning Groups, please let me know.
APTT:
Our next Academic Parent Teaching Team Meeting is coming right up on January 21. We changed the time to 6-7 PM based on the feedback we got about the evening going a bit too late for our younger students last time. We will have materials available for you to pick up next week on January 14 and 15 anytime from 8:30-4 PM. Our teachers are excited to see the progress you made towards the goal you set at the last APTT and to share new games with you that will help your children work towards an important grade level skill.
BUDGET CYCLE:
The budget for next year will be difficult as our district is facing a large budget shortfall. Our school will receive our budget allocation at the end of February, but our Building Leadership Team has already begun talking about our values and how they impact our spending. Do you have input about programs and staffing at our school that are valuable for your child’s learning? I’d love to hear from you. We value parent input as we make these decisions. You may also reach out to our BLT parent representatives: Neha Lohia (Neha@lohia.org) and Tripti Baliga (Triptibaliga@gmail.com) to let them know your thoughts.
Open Enrollment: If your child will be five by August 31, 2021, it is time to get ready to enroll for kindergarten. Registration for 2021-22 for students new to Seattle Public Schools begins on January 4. Open Enrollment for school choice will be February 1-19. More information about enrolling in Seattle Public Schools can be found here: https://www.seattleschools.org/district/calendars/news/what_s_new/registration_for_2021-22 .
We will be hosting several events for new families. If you know people who are considering our school, please encourage them to attend.
Upcoming Events for families joining us for the 2021-22 School Year:
Open House for New and Incoming Families: Wednesday, January 20 at 8 - 8:45 a.m.
HCC Parent Information Event: Wednesday, February 3 at 4 - 4:45 p.m.
Open House for New and Incoming Families: Wednesday, February 10 at 5 - 5:45 p.m
Accessing report cards: Report Cards were made available to parents on their Source accounts on December 28 (not December 18 as we were previously told). There is a district Source webpage that can answer many questions at: https://www.seattleschools.org/departments/dots/support_training_forms/source . Here you can learn how to set up a source account and how to log in, among other things. There is also a place for families to contact source support if you have technical questions. Note: The district refers to Elementary report cards as progress reports. Be sure to click the tab on the source with this label.
Family Connectors University SPS families are invited to sign up for the Family Connectors University (FCU) class designed to support you in Winter 2021!
The FCU class is a partnership between North Seattle College and the Family Partnerships Department at SPS. Here are some examples of topics we'll be covering:
How to help your child with remote learning
Social Emotional Learning ideas for home
Becoming a supportive partner at your school
Helping your child with literacy and math
Talking to kids about race, racism, and antiracist actions
SPS parent who attended the fall session said:
“The Family Connectors University class was a wealth of practical ideas, and definitely worth the time investment! In particular, the conversations about self-care, supporting our kids' social emotional growth, dealing with "big feelings" and recommendations on supporting reading and math were fantastic. Implementing just a few of these ideas brought the pressure level in our 'locked-down' household from a 9 to a 2.”
The class will take place online via Zoom for 10 weeks beginning Tuesday, January 12th at 6pm and parents can participate synchronously or asynchronously, as sessions will be recorded.
It will be facilitated by NSC Parent Education Instructor Lea Evans, Principal Janine Roy from Queen Anne Elementary, Asosa Sailiai, SPS Family Partnerships Coordinator, and other special guest speakers as well. This year's curriculum is very exciting and has been immensely helpful to parents during Fall 2020.
The cost for the 2-unit class is $39.42 and some scholarships are available. Please email Asosa as soon as possible to reserve your spot if you're interested in enrolling: amsailiai@seattleschools.org.
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As Governor Jay Inslee issues new guidance on in-person instruction, I would like to help prepare for whenever we are back on campus.
If your child has…
An emergency/rescue medication for asthma, allergies or other medical conditions;
Daily medications to be taken at school; or
As needed over-the-counter medications, such as Tylenol, Motrin, topical ointments,
Please fill out an Authorization to Administer Medication at School form (if you have already sent it to me, please disregard this). You don’t need to print it out. This form can be saved on your phone/computer, signed electronically, and e-mailed back to me. (Click here for a step-by-step on how to sign a PDF document electronically.) I can fax/e-mail the form to your child’s provider once I have their contact information and your signature.
If your child will need any procedures to be performed at school, please return the treatment authorization form to me.
Most importantly, I wish you happy, healthy, and re-energizing holidays! Because I am the school nurse, I just cannot resist but include some considerations for healthy holiday celebrations this year!
I look forward to seeing you and your child in 2021!
Cristina Wirkala BSN RN (she/her)
School Nurse | Student Health Services
COVID-19 has affected Seattle residents in many ways. Many people, including older adults and families, are facing tough times due to job loss. The City of Seattle can help people who are struggling to pay their 🔌electricity and 🚿utilities bills. 🔗http://www.seattle.gov/UDP
COVID-19 ha afectado a los residentes de Seattle de muchas maneras.
Muchas personas están pasando por momentos difíciles debido a la pérdida de sus empleos, incluidos adultos mayores y familias.
🔌🚿 La Ciudad de Seattle puede ayudar a quienes estén luchando por pagar sus facturas de la luz y servicios públicos. 🔗 http://www.seattle.gov/UDP
COVID-19 đã ảnh hưởng đến cư dân Seattle theo nhiều cách.
Nhiều người, kể cả người lớn tuổi và các hộ gia đình đang phải đối mặt với thời kỳ khó khăn do mất việc làm.
🔌🚿 Thành phố Seattle có thể giúp những người đang gặp khó khăn trong việc trả tiền điện nước.
🔗 http://www.seattle.gov/UDP
COVID-19在很多方面影響了西雅圖的居民。
🔌🚿許多人，包括老年人和家庭，由於失業而面臨困境。
西雅圖市政府可以幫助那些為支付水電雜費而掙扎的人。🔗 http://www.seattle.gov/UDP
COVID-19는 여러 방면에서 시애틀 주민들에게 영향을 미쳐왔습니다.
🔌🚿노인들 및 가정들을 포함한 많은 분들이 실직으로 인해 힘든 시기를 겪고 있습니다.
시애틀 시는 전기 및 공공 요금 지불에 어려움을 겪고 있는 분들을 도와드릴 수 있습니다. 🔗 http://www.seattle.gov/UDP
COVID-19 siyaabo badan ayuu u saameeyay dadka degan Seattle.
🔌🚿Dad badan, oo ay ku jiraan dadka waaweyn iyo qoysaska, ayaa wajahaya waqtiyo adag shaqo la'aan darteed.
Magaalada Seattle waxay caawin kartaa dadka la halgamaya in ay iska bixiyaan biilasha korontada, biyaha iyo gaaska. 🔗 http://www.seattle.gov/UDP
ኮቪድ-19 በብዙ መንገዶች የስያትል ነዋሪዎችን ጎድቷል።
በርካታ ሰዎች በዕድሜ የገፉ አዋቂዎችና ቤተሰቦች ጭምር በሥራ ዕጦት ምክንያት ከባድ የኑሮ ወቅት እየተጋፈጡ ነዉ።
🔌🚿 የስያትል ከተማ የኤልክትሪክና የግልጋሎት ክፍያዎችን ለመክፈል የከበዳቸዉን ሰዎች መርዳት ይችላል። 🔗 http://www.seattle.gov/UDP
Pup Press BROUGHT TO YOU BY Thurgood Marshall Elementary FTME FTME Parents site ›
Comments