PTSA MEETINGS

PTSA Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm in the Teacher's Lounge.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

A Survey from the Good Folks at Stand for Children

What do you think? We want to hear from you. Take our survey now. Please take a few minutes to share your perspective on the role and vision of our Board of Directors for Seattle Public Schools. This survey will help us to better understand the depth of knowledge and levels of participation among our members and supporters about board member roles and responsibilities, as well as get feedback on priorities and goals of any potential new members to the board. As we move toward an important election cycle this summer and fall, this knowledge will help to guide us in our activities in support of candidates and initiatives for our school district. Take the survey now. Thank you for your assistance! Sincerely, Alma VillegasSeattle Director, Stand for Children

Thursday is Family Farmer’s Market Night at Maple!


Join Maple and Eat Better, Feel Better for an evening full of fun, eating and learning! All Maple families are invited to enjoy dinner and take home a bag of fresh produce. Here is a sneak preview of the activities and community partners that will be featured: • The Farmers Market, with Oranges, Apples, Pears, Carrots, Kale, Spinach, and Sweet Potatoes, as well as recipe books to take home. • African Dance with Seattle Parks and Recreation • Maple Garden Tours with 3rd grade teachers and students • Seed Planting with Lettuce Link • Math Games • Cooking Demo and Tasting – Chef Ryan from Community Kitchens NW will demo preparing a salad • Food Stamp and WIC Outreach • PCC Nutritionist • Nutrition Label Challenge • A Raffle! Prizes include a Woodland Park Zoo Family Fun Pack, a Garden Basket, and more! Hope to see everyone there!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Just in time for Spring Break: Online Games Added to the PTSA Website


Ever want a safe list of math and reading games for kids to visit when they are on line? Well now you have it! Check out the right column of the screen-- there ya go!


These are great places for kids to visit on line. Two of them require a password: XtraMath and Study Island. Contact your child's teacher if you do not already have the passwords neccesary for these websites.

For MAP practice, it may be a good idea for you to know your child's latest MAP score. For this, please visit the SOURCE.


Friday, April 8, 2011

May is Arts Education Month!!

Join in the campaign to empower schools and community to provide arts learning opportunities to every student in every school You already know that your students are engaged and excited when they are learning through the arts. Share your success! Showcasing the activities that take place in your classroom and school is a great way to inform your community about the positive impacts of the arts. Arts Education Month is a perfect time for you and your students to spread the word, celebrate, and strengthen arts education in our schools for all students. In Washington State, arts education is the law. Parents, community members, and school board members need to know that the arts are integral to a complete education. Seeing arts learning in action can be a powerful demonstration of the value of arts curriculum. Here is an idea to consider for your school: Invite your school board members to see your arts learning and teaching. If there is an arts event or simply a time when an arts lesson or rehearsal is taking place in your classroom or your school, this is a perfect time to share the engaged learning, incredible artwork and community celebration that you and your students are doing through the arts. You can use ArtsEd Washington’s Arts Education Month Toolkit, which includes a sample invitation that can help you get started on your invites. Additionally, there are other tools to help you articulate why arts education is important for your students. http://artsedwashington.org/news-events/arts-education-month/aem-tool-kit # # #

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Start Preparing for the Summer at this Event on April 30 at Maple!


  • Where and When?!?! Saturday April 30th 10am-12pm in the Maple gym

  • Who?!? Community organizations (CDSA, Parks & Rec, Beacon Hill Library, etc) will on hand to share information about their summer programs.

  • What!?!? Parents will be able to learn about programs, sign up for programs, get library cards, etc.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

From the Lunchroom…

Register for free “low-balance” email notifications by going to http://www.paypams.com/ and registering your child(ren). You will need either their official school district ID number or their personal PIN number for the cafeteria. You may also use this website to make automated payments and/or pay with a credit card – there is a charge of $1.95 for each payment transaction (to support the website costs) – but there is no charge to view student balances or setup email notifications. Eric Boutin Director Nutrition Services

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Get on the agenda for the April 6 School Board Meeting!!!


Just as a reminder, in order to get on the agenda for Wednesday night's School Board meeting, we each need to call (206) 252-0040 or e-mail boardagenda@seattleschools.org at 8am on Monday morning.

Folks are more likely to get on the agenda if they choose a topic from something already on the agenda. Here is the agenda:http://district.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Departmental%20Content/school%20board/10-11%20agendas/040611agenda/040611agenda.pdf

This may seem a bit sneaky, but it's pretty common.

Good luck, and PLEASE let us know if you get on the agenda. The PTSA will be meeting on Tuesday to discuss our testimony. We're really hoping to get a few people on the agenda. The more people that try, the better luck we'll have.

Here are directions from the District:

The order of public testimony will be determined as follows: agenda action items, agenda introduction items, and then items of general interest. The order of agenda items will be alternated between those speaking in favor of a topic and those against the same topic.

The board agenda is posted by close of business the Friday before board meetings. The School Board Office will take sign-ups for the public testimony list starting at 8:00am on the Monday before regular board meetings and continue until 12:00 noon Tuesday before the meeting. The final list of public testimony will be posted on the board agenda web page by close of business the day before the regular board meeting.

Members of the public can call (206) 252-0040 or e-mail boardagenda@seattleschools.org and give their legal name, telephone number, e-mail address, and the topic they would like to address. (Since Seattle Public Schools is a public agency, this information will fall into the public domain.) If complete information is not provided, you will not be included on the list.
The School Board Office is not able to contact every person who requests to speak at the meeting. Each person should check the website on Tuesday after 5:00pm to see where they are on the testimony list or whether they are on the waitlist.