Thursday, May 20th, 2021, Volume 15 Issue 90
ACEs are adverse childhood experiences. These are things that happen to us as children, which can impact us both as children and in our future as adults. These stressful experiences can influence both our mental and physical health. John Legend, working with California Surgeon General Dr. Burke Harris, recently posted a video about ACEs on Twitter. You can view it here: https://twitter.com/johnlegend/status/1392911272652378113 . The website https://numberstory.org/ is a great place to learn more about ACEs and also find resources to help.
Two-thirds of us (and our children) have experienced at least one ACE. There are additional experiences that can also impact us such as Discrimination, Racism, Poverty, and Separation from a caregiver due to immigration or foster care, for example. This does not need to determine our quality of life or our outcomes. Learning more about the toxic stress these experiences can cause and getting help for this stress can change the course of events whether you are an adult or a child who had these experiences. If you are a parent, getting support for yourself will benefit your children. We have all been under stress during the pandemic which can further compound individual difficulties. You can find resources for support at https://numberstory.org/heal-myself/ . You can also reach out to Ms. Matsui, our school counselor for local resources. Additionally, King County’s Crisis Connections is available 24 hours to help connect you to many kinds of resources. You can call 866-427-4747 or visit https://www.crisisconnections.org/get-help/ to learn more.
Move-a-Thon Packets
Move-a-Thon packets are on their way home to you! If your child is at school in-person, you will receive a packet via kid mail (their backpack). If you are learning remotely, you can download the information when your child’s teacher sends it, or stop by school to pick up a packet. Remember, this year our Move-a-thon will be virtual and we are asking students to complete 30 consecutive minutes of movement any day between May 24 and May 31.
Help out with 5th Grade Promotion Are you a parent of any grade child with a little extra time to spare? Our 5th grade team is looking for a parent to help us create the 5th grade promotion slide show, typically a task taken on by a 4th or 5th grade parent. We will supply the pictures – you will upload them into a slide show with music. Please let Katie May or any of our 5th grade teachers know if you can help!
In-Person Appeal Closing The In-person appeal process will end on May 31, 2021. Families will have through May 31 by 4 p.m. to file an appeal online. The appeals form will be removed after the deadline with no further changes to students learning model in an effort to minimize disruption for schools as they prepare for end of school year transition.
BLT Recruiting Statement: The Thurgood Marshall Building Leadership Team is looking for parent representatives from our General Education program, our AC Scholars (HCC program) and our Special Education Program. We are also looking for a representative from our Black Family Advocacy Support Group. The two-year commitment for joining the BLT is to attend a monthly meeting (Tuesdays from 4-5:30) and help us make decisions about our building budget, our Continuous School Improvement Plan, and Professional Development Plan. In addition, the BLT guides the climate and mission and vision of the school. Our meetings have typically been held one Tuesday each month from 4-5:30 PM, and it would be fine to attend these meeting virtually if you are not able to attend in person. We have a parent representative for each of our school programs: AC Scholars, PEACE Scholars and Scholars. We also have a position held for a member of our Black Family Advocacy Support Group and we are also looking to fill this position. If you are interested in nominating yourself to serve on the BLT, please send me a short statement of why you are interested in serving. You can also reach out to our current parent representatives, Tripti Balgi at triptibaliga@gmail.com, and Neha Lohia at neha@lohia.org.
Help lead Thurgood Marshall's Equity efforts next year! The Equity Action Teams are looking for people interested in joining their leadership team for the 2021-2022 school year. Open positions include: SECRETARY and EVENT PLANNER. People filling these roles will work with the support and collaboration of the whole leadership team and the general members of the Equity Action Teams. This is a great way to meet new parents/caregivers, learn more about working toward equity, and take action in the school community in concrete impactful ways. If you have any interest in these roles, have questions, or would like to explore other ways to get involved in the Equity Action Teams, please email the Leadership Team at equityactiontm@gmail.com. More information about Thurgood Marshall's Equity Action Teams can be found at: https://tmlink.org/info/equity-in-education-initiative/.
Thurgood Marshall Elementary
The School Learning Garden Network is hosting our second event at Thurgood Marshall Elementary!
Join us for a ‘Right Tree, Right Place’ presentation from our friends at Trees for Seattle. Learn about tree and site selection when preparing for planting new trees and the resources available for Seattle schools. The presentation will be followed by a ‘Spring Cleaning’ of the Thurgood Marshall gardens. We will also talk through the Self Help Project guidelines for memorials.
For details on this event and to register, please RSVP toSelfHelpProjects@seattleschools.org
